Grayza Collection
by PinkKoala213
Summary: A collection of one-shots based on the pairing of Gray x Erza. Various AUs. Ch 20, Demons: "She sank to the floor, back running down the cold wall behind her. She felt another tear fall down her face as she closed her eyes, giving in to the fog around her brain. 'I'm sorry, Gray...'" Modern AU.
1. Night Changes

Hi :)  
Well first off, it has been waaaaaay too long since I've written Grayza. There was a long time when I had no ideas or inspiration to write for any of my otps, and it really disappointed me. But of course, some of my fave authors started writing again, and others reviewed my old stories, and now I'm determined to write again! So to all you guys who reviewed my stories despite the fact that I didn't update for two years: thank you so, so much :)

As in the description, this collection will be a series of one-shots dedicated to this all-too-perf couple. I hope you all enjoy this story, and please leave a review if you did!

* * *

Gray watched her as she drove, knowing that she was well over the speed limit. Erza didn't care; her eyes remained on the road with her classic resting-bitch-face, one hand on the wheel and the wind blowing through her hair. He smirked to himself; the darkness of the night had just settled, and Erza was already speeding down the empty highway.

Truth be told, despite how often he thought about it, he was terrified to ask her out on this date. He shouldn't have been- they were only getting older, so weren't these things supposed to get easier? Besides, it wasn't like he and Erza were strangers. True, they had hung out many times before, even alone, but this wasn't like the other times. This time, Gray was sure of his feelings for her.

It occurred to Gray just _how _fast Erza was driving. She always sped whenever they drove together, and he couldn't help but wonder why. There was never any rush around them, but she always acted like there was. He knew she was an outspoken, powerful woman, always trying to live without being upset over the past. But that didn't quite explain it either.

She was never in _this_ much of a rush either. Of course, he tried not to assume it was because of Jellal. She admitted to Gray that yes, Jellal did break her heart, but also that she was fine. Gray, however, was still skeptical of her claims, feeling that her past relationship affected her a lot more than she let on.

He looked up at the sky: as he had observed, night had settled for quite some time now. The sky was a dark indigo; the pinks and oranges from the sunset had long left the linings of the clouds. The first stars were there, twinkling brightly. He chuckled softly. Erza's eyes darted to him, "Yes?"

Gray simply cleared his throat. "You look really nice."

Erza scoffed, but Gray caught the hint of a smirk on her cherry lips. She said nothing, so Gray continued, "Your dress looks great too. Red is your color, despite what people say."

"Since when did you talk to people about my dress color?"

"It comes up in discussion regularly. You're a hot topic."

She snorted back a laugh and rolled her eyes. "You're such a dork." she told him, playfully pushing his shoulder.

Gray laughed, "Yeah, but you don't seem to mind." He placed his hand over her free one. She glanced at their hands a little longer than normal, as if his action surprised her. Her focus immediately went back on the road. He watched as she inhaled deeply, as if she were shaking out the thoughts in her head. He didn't say anything; he simply gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. To his relief, he felt her relax the tiniest bit.

After some time they had stopped; Erza found a spot in one of the campground fields that had a perfect view of the stars. The couple wrapped themselves in blankets and settled into the back seat of the convertible, Erza naturally finding herself curled up by Gray's side. The moon was out now, its light glowing on Erza's skin.

"Erza," he spoke softly. The redhead turned and looked up at him; he could see his reflection in her honey-brown eyes. "I have to let you know..I really like you." She looked taken aback by his words, so he continued. "Yes, you beat me up and make fun of me, but I don't care- I really am in love with you." Erza just stared back at him with..._fear_? Ignoring her stare, he started to close his eyes as he leaned in swiftly.

His eyes, however, remained open as Erza pulled away. Confused, Gray studied her, and although he deemed all her features as perfect, the slight frown and furrow of her eyebrows told him that something was clearly not right. Ignoring the fact that the moment was right, that he wanted to tell her he loved her so much, he instead moved her to face him. "What's wrong?"

Erza sighed, shuddering slightly. "I don't love anyone, Gray." she whispered timidly, her eyes casted downward. "I can't, I..I try to live my life without regrets. I always make the choices that are the fastest." Her voice was wavering. Gray remained in the same position, listening intently.

"I feel like I love you. But I'm just so scared it will all disappear as soon as tomorrow comes, so I..I don't want to get attached!" She looked up at him, tears streaming down her face.

Although he hated it, he knew his assumption was correct- this was all from Jellal. He looked at her and tried to see _her, _but all he saw was confusion, fear, and sadness. What he was looking at was all the pain Jellal had left her. She needed to see this whole situation differently. She needed to know he cared.

He needed to love her.

Gray reached out his hand, cupping her face gently. Erza blinked, another set of tears sliding down her face. "Can I...can I kiss you?" he asked sincerely. Erza nodded slowly. Gray moved in just as slow. Right before his lips reached hers, she whispered, "I-I'm so scared right now."

It was clear that she didn't want to offend him, that she just had to let him know. He just nodded, "It's okay." And with that, he kissed her. She kissed him back, carefully. He could taste the salt from her tears, and could feel her soft lips somewhat quivering. He pulled back, taking a deep breath and looking at her. She stared at him, her honey eyes now filled with some sort of hope.

He leaned in again, and could barely contain his happiness as he saw her tilt her head up to him. He kissed her with more intensity this time, allowing his cool tongue to slip in. She surprised him again, putting her hands on the back of his head to pull him closer.

* * *

After some time the two were back to their original positions, Erza cuddled up under Gray's arm. The sky had changed: the light blues from the daylight were appearing, fading into the dark blues from the night that was now leaving. Erza marveled at the painting in front of them, "I've never seen the night change before. I mean, I've been around when it does, but..I never made it a point to watch."

Gray looked down at her. "Hey, look- I'm still here." he chuckled. Erza looked back and gave him a down-up. "What do you mean?" she asked, arching an eyebrow.

"What I mean is," he smiled, turning her to him and taking her small hands into his, "the night can change, but it will never change how I feel about you." He looked into her eyes as deeply as he could. She looked back at him, astonished…

...but it quickly changed to a smile. She rolled her eyes, "You are_ such_ an idiot." she laughed, and she couldn't help but pull his face to hers once more. Gray was right- night had transformed into day, and nothing had changed between them.

* * *

Thanks for reading. Don't forget to review! ;)

Until next time,

PinkKoala213


	2. Quite the Winter Formal

**Hey guys, hope you're all doing well :3 A huge thank you hug to everyone that reviewed the first chapter of this collection! You guys are the best :D In celebration of all the winter formals coming to a close, here's a new oneshot, full of high school profanity and drama. Enjoy, and don't forget to leave a review!**

* * *

"C'mon Gray, you got this!" Loke smiled, clapping his hands supportively on his friend's shoulders.

"Yeah, don't worry. It's in the bag, for sure." Natsu added, punching his best friend's arm.

Gray nodded, smiling back at his friends in appreciation. He turned his head to a certain set of lockers, his focus on the girl with scarlet hair that stood in front of them. _That scarlet hair… _

Gray's smile suddenly faded. He turned back to his friends. "Guys, I can't do it."

His mission was to ask Erza to their school's winter formal. He knew she didn't have a date, and that there was less than a week till the dance, so there was a high probability that she would say yes. But, then again, he and Erza were best friends. What if that was all she saw him as?

Loke and Natsu were appalled. "You're joking! You can, you've got this on lock." Loke told him.

"Yeah, and it's Erza! Worst comes to worst, she make you wear a tux or something." Natsu agreed.

Gray turned from his friends and looked over at his best friend and love interest. She and Lucy were standing in front of their locker, the two anxiously talking about something. Taking a deep breath, Gray held out his hand. Loke nodded and placed a rose in his open hand, while Natsu hit Gray's shoulder one last time.

"Alright…here goes." Gray smiled, putting the rose behind his back as he walked toward the girl in question. 

X-x-X 

Ezra took a deep breath and exhaled quickly. She put her hands at her sides, but, realizing how clammy they were, put them back in the pockets of her jacket.

"Don't be nervous, Erza! You got this!" Lucy, beside her, encouraged as she placed a comforting hand on the redhead's shoulder.

The two 17-year-olds were standing beside their locker, staring across the hall at a certain blue haired boy named Jellal; or, according to them, the cause of Erza's in-class daydreaming.

Erza turned to her friend with a frustrated grunt. "You know what the problem is, Lucy? I _am _nervous!" She looked behind her, muttering, "Oh my God, why did I think this was a good idea..."

It was Monday, the first day of winter formal week. All of Erza's friends had dates to the dance, and of course, Erza wanted one as well. So what better than to ask one of the most popular boys in school? After countless hours of rehearsing lines with Mira and Lucy, Erza finally decided she was ready.

"C'mon Erza, we practiced this a million times. Besides, it's just Jellal!" Lucy tried again.

Erza turned to her friend once again, this time with a glare. "I think you're forgetting that he's basically the star of the basketball team and the soccer team. Besides, it'll be way different than how we rehearsed!" she snapped.

She wasn't that close to Jellal. She definitely wasn't as close to him as Ultear, another girl in their grade, was. Erza and Jellal were more along the lines of…comfortable acquaintances. They had two classes together, enough for Erza to confirm that she had feelings for him. She hoped that winter formal would bring them closer together, maybe even to the point of dating.

"What happened to the Erza two weeks ago? Y'know, the one that was determined to 'Ask the boy,' the one that wasn't afraid of rejection, the one that _didn't want to be dateless to winter formal_?!" Lucy scolded.

Erza's frustration turned back into a nervous fear. Her heart was pounding almost too loudly in her chest. She swallowed hard. She needed something, or _someone_ to calm her down. Someone that she knew forever, and that knew her forever. In other words…she needed her best friend.

She needed Gray.

Desperate, she spun around, searching for that familiar head of navy hair. A smile appeared on her face as soon as she saw the boy she was looking for. 

X-x-X 

"Gray! Oh, thank _God _you're here!" Erza exclaimed, running up to her best friend and throwing her arms around his neck. Gray stumbled back, slightly surprised at her reaction, but hugged her back anyway, the rose still in his hand and unseen by Erza. Lucy, who had come up beside them, saw the rose in Gray's hand. Her eyes widened, knowing exactly what was about to happen.

Shit.

Erza pulled back, her hands on her temples. "Ugh, I need your help! I'm a nervous wreck right now; I am_ freaking _out and I—"

Gray took his free hand and put it comfortingly on Erza's arm. "Whoa, Erz, slow down. What's going on?"

Erza looked up at him, her eyes panicky. "I'm really nervous about something, and I need you to help me calm down."

Lucy positioned herself behind Erza's view and directly in Gray's. She caught Gray's eye, shaking her head at him with wide eyes. He raised an eyebrow, confused. Ignoring Lucy, he turned back to Erza. "Okay, take a deep breath with me. Ready?" The two inhaled and exhaled, every slow breath calming Erza down.

"Okay, tell me what's going on?" Gray repeated, looking right at Erza. Lucy stood behind her, frantically shaking her head and waving her hand under her neck, signaling him to abort the mission he had planned. Unfortunately, Gray merely glanced at her and then turned back to Erza. Lucy's shoulders sank, and a pit in her stomach grew. She knew how much Gray cared for Erza; this would definitely hurt. A _lot._

"Well…you're not gonna like this, cos you don't like him, but…" Erza looked up from the ground and at Gray. "I'm asking Jellal to winter formal." Erza immediately looked back at the ground in an attempt to hide her red, embarrassed face.

Lucy watched Gray as his smile faded, his face now resembling surprise. She gave him an apologetic shrug; it was the best she could do. Gray looked away from the blonde and turned to Erza with a smile. The rose behind his back discreetly dropped to the ground.

"_That's_ what you're so nervous about?" Gray scoffed, crossing his arms. Erza looked up at him, eyes wide while he continued to talk. "Erza, you're one of the bravest people I know. You remember when you stood up to Minerva, _the _Minerva, freshman year? She tried to take you out, but you didn't back down!" he laughed, causing Erza to smile as well. He patted her arm, "You got this."

"But…you're not mad? I know you two have that soccer rivalry, and what happened with Ultear…" Erza trailed off, recalling the past relationship (that, according to Lucy and Mira, was definitely over) between Jellal and Gray's cousin.

Gray shrugged. "Of course I don't like him, but I'm fine if you're happy. It's just Jellal, you got this." he told her once more.

Erza smiled at him brightly, her nerves vanishing at Gray's words. She hesitated, then hugged the navy haired boy once more. "Thanks, Gray." she said, and pulling away, looked giddily between him and Lucy. "Wish me luck!" she squealed. Lucy and Gray smiled in encouragement, as Erza left. Gray watched her leave with disappointment in his eyes. He had known Jellal for years, from both of them being the top players on the soccer team, to the boy's past relationship with Ultear. In short, Gray only knew him only for the bad stuff he did.

A sigh unintentionally sounded from his mouth, and Lucy turned to him, the blonde's face twisted in apology.

"Gray, please, don't take this personally. I'm sure Erza would've said yes to you if—"

Gray shook his head, stopping the blonde's words as he forced a smile on his face. "Lucy, it's fine. I'll see you later."

"It's just a bump in the road! What's so good about that blue haired guy, anyway?!" Lucy laughed forcefully, trying to make light of the situation, but Gray already turned to leave.

_Why was he so angry?_

Lucy called after him, but he ignored her. His heart pounded in his head. He left the hallway, quickly enough that he didn't hear Jellal's reply to Erza:.

"Sure." 

X-x-X 

Gray strode down the hallway and took off his sweater, surprised that his nervous stripping habit hadn't kicked in earlier. All he wanted was to go home, and kick soccer balls until—

An intrusive arm slung around his neck playfully. "Weellll, Mr. Fullbuster, what's the word from Mrs. Fullbuster?!" Natsu asked giddily. Gray shrugged off his arm, continuing to walk.

"Easy Natsu, they're not dating yet! Or perhaps, they are?" Loke mused, falling in step on the other side of Gray. Gray closed his eyes in annoyance, knowing that what happened was not what his friends were expecting.

"Well of course they will be! You know what winter formal does: one minute you're going with your best friend, the next you're in a relationship!" Natsu added.

"GUYS!" Gray snapped, causing the other two boys to stop their teasing. "She didn't say yes."

Natsu and Loke stared back at Gray in disbelief. "She didn't say yes?!" Natsu repeated, trying to wrap his head around something that was so unreal to him.

"No. I didn't even get the chance to ask her." Gray spoke again, the bitterness on his tongue.

Loke crossed his arms. "Did you chicken out again? Man, I told you, she'll say—"

"She's going with Jellal."

The other two boys looked shocked, and then they frowned, knowing Gray's dislike of Jellal.

"Gray, I'm…I'm sorry, that sucks ass." Loke spoke, and Natsu nodded.

Gray sighed, and looked back at the two of them. "Yeah, it does. But I swear, if he treats her badly in any way, I'll make sure he regrets even looking at her." 

X-x-X 

Ultear Milkovich walked down the hallway to her locker, looking down at her phone as she did so. She was trying to get a hold of her cousin, Gray, but he wasn't texting her back. She stopped at her locker, only to see a familiar pair of shoes. Someone leaning against the locker beside hers. She took a deep breath, and looking up from her phone, she looked right at them. "Hey, Jellal."

The blue haired boy gave her a smile. "Hey, I'm glad I caught you."

"Psh, yeah right. I bet you planned this out." Ultear scoffed jokingly, turning to put in her locker combination.

"I have some news that I want you to know about."

Ultear looked up at him, surprised at his sudden change in tone. She and Jellal had dated for a year, but that had ended four months ago. It was a tough breakup, but they were still good friends. Four months was a long time, but Ultear was still hurting.

"What's wrong?" she asked, curious.

"Well, you know how winter formal is this weekend?"

A ball of nerves formed in Ultear's throat as she stared back at him. Was he gonna ask her? She swallowed, trying not to make her nervousness visible. She put her attention back on her lock, trying to spin the first numbers of her combination. "Oh, yeah, that. What about it?"

Jellal smiled that dazzling smile. "Well, you won't believe it, but…"

…_I'm gonna take you?  
_…_I've been in love with you?  
_…_I miss you like hell?_

"…Erza Scarlet asked me to go with her."

Ultear's hand froze in confusion. Erza Scarlet? Gray's best friend? Since when was she into Jellal? A jealous pain went through her body.

"And you?" she asked shakily.

"What?" Jellal asked, looking at her.

"What did you say?"

He looked at the ground, then back at her. "I said yes."

Ultear looked at him in disbelief, but forced a smile on as quickly as she could. "That's so good, Jellal. I'm glad you found a date!" She spun the last number of her combination and pulled down on the lock, which for some reason, was still, well, locked. She pulled down desperately, wondering why in the world it wouldn't budge—

"Whoa, Ultear, relax! You forgot your combination." Jellal told her as he moved her hands from the device. She watched as in seconds, the lock opened, as though it had no problems before.

"10-23-39. Don't forget." he told her with a wink, a wink that made her heart leap and sink at the same time.

She smiled back at him. That was all she could do, give him that forced smile. "I'll call you later!" Jellal called as he jogged down the hall towards the exit, waving goodbye. Ultear watched him leave, and as soon as he was out of vision, pressed her head on the cool metal of the school locker.

She still liked Jellal, a _lot_; there was no doubt. But how could she have feelings for him when he was interested in someone else? 

X-x-X 

"Yo, Gray! Practice is over, we gotta go if we want the good showers!" Lyon, Gray's brother, called to him. It was the end of an especially intense soccer practice, yet Gray was still out running laps on the indoor field. Lyon stood there, looking to see if his brother would say anything. Gray however, kept sprinting around the track.

Lyon shrugged. "Suit yourself." he muttered, and jogged to the locker rooms.

Ten minutes later, Gray had made it to the locker room, panting like a madman. He ran lord knows how many laps, but he more tired than he thought he'd be. He _did_ have a lot on his mind, and he needed to get it out somehow.

Alone in his locker room section he grabbed the stuff he needed for his shower, but stopped when he heard voices.

"Yeah, I can't believe it happened. Do they even know each other?" He recognized it as one of his teammates, Rouge.

"Apparently. I guess his answer means he likes her a little bit?" Another teammate: their goalie, Sting.

"Man, who woulda thought that he would say yes to _Erza,_ of all people?"

Gray's attention sparked upon hearing Erza's name. He leaned against the lockers to better hear what they were saying.

"Yeah. He still has it for Ultear, no matter what he says."

"So you think he's just using Erza as some sort of fun rebound?" Rouge asked. Anger swelled in Gray's chest.

"Probably; you know how he was before he met Ultear. He's probably gone back to his old ways. Can you imagine how funny her face will be when this is all over?" Sting mentioned rudely. The two shared a laugh, and exited the locker room.

Gray walked out, and walked to the showers. He had to let Erza know, no matter what. 

X-x-X 

Ultear locked the front door behind her and slung her heavy backpack off her shoulders. She sighed, glad to be home. What she needed was a nice bubble bath, with a warm cup of tea and a—

She froze, hearing noises from the kitchen: the creak of a cabinet door opening, followed by loud crinkling, as if someone were opening a bag of chips. She looked at the clock in the foyer: her mom wasn't coming home till late that night, and she knew for certain that she hadn't made plans with anyone today.

Wielding a shoe-horn, she was about to attack the intruders, when a voice sounded from her right.

"Yo, you got any—WHOA, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

Ultear spun around, the shoe-horn raised high in the air. Her eyes fell on her cousin and Gray's brother, Lyon, whose hands were raised in alarm. She rolled her eyes. "Lyon! What the hell, you scared me!" she shouted at him, while smacking him in the arm with the shoe-horn.

"Ow! Ul said we could come over today cos our parents are out..jeez Ultear, put that freaking thing down!" Lyon shouted back.

Just as Ultear was about to hit him once more, a new hand held the shoe-horn in place. She turned and saw Gray, disgustingly shirtless as usual, a bag of chips tucked in his free arm. "Damn girl, settle." he told her, mouth full of chips.

Ultear glared at the two boys and tossed the shoe-horn to the side. "I thought there was an intruder! You guys nearly gave me a heart attack!" she scolded, but her cousins had already left to the kitchen. Ultear rolled her eyes but followed them, realizing that she was quite hungry herself.

Opening the cabinet full of snacks, she saw that there wasn't much in it, save for some canned food and bottles of water. She turned around at her cousins, both on their phones and eating. "Next time save me some food, fat asses." she told them, and went to the fridge to find something else to eat.

Lyon looked up from his phone. "It wasn't me, it was all Gray! I mean yeah, I _did _eat a family size bag of chips, but Gray ate practically everything else in there!" he protested, pointing at his brother.

"What made Gray that hungry?" she asked, surprised, as she closed the fridge with an apple in her hand.

"Must be all the extra laps he ran after practice today." Lyon shrugged.

Ultear crossed her arms, staring at the navy haired boy. "Next time Gray? Don't clear out our snacks cabinet. And put on a shirt, for goodness sake! I thought Erza got you out of that weird stripping habit." At the mention of Erza's name, Gray's body went rigid, and recalling the events that had occurred earlier that day.

"I'm gonna take a shit." Lyon announced, and got up to leave.

"Light a candle, please!" Ultear called after him, and then sighed. She sat at Lyon's seat, and looked across at Gray. "Are you okay?" she asked him, noticing his unusual quietness today.

Gray shrugged, "Uh, yeah, I'm okay." he told her. He sighed, however, when he saw Ultear's raised eyebrow. "Okay, I'm not okay. It has to do with Erza…and Jellal."

Ultear's eyes widened. Gray and Erza were best friends, of course he would know about this! "Are you…okay with it?" Ultear asked.

Gray shrugged. "I mean, what can I do? I'm just her best friend…"

Ultear gulped, and she leaned her elbows on the counter. "I think you should…try to talk her out of it."

Gray looked at her, about to scold her for trying to sabotage Erza's happiness, when he remembered what he overheard from Sting and Rogue in the locker rooms...

"_Yeah, he definitely still has it for Ultear, no matter what he says."_

"_So you think he's just using Erza as some sort of fun toy?"_

"_Probably. Can you imagine how funny her face would be when she finds out?"_

Gray looked at his phone, his hand already about to dial Erza's number. "Yeah…maybe I should…" 

X-x-X 

Erza paced back and forth in her room, not looking at the dresses that she had thrown on her bed. She bit her thumbnail, nervous. The sound of the doorbell ringing pierced through her thoughts. She sprinted down the stairs to the front door, took a deep breath, and opened it.

"Hey." Gray greeted, stepping past her inside the house. Erza closed the door after him, but for some reason her attention was drawn to his outfit: he was wearing gray jeans, a blue sweater and his usual black leather jacket. Erza nodded, approving how good his outfit looked, and how good he looked…

…_wait, what?_

"Something wrong?" Gray asked, noticing her stares.

Erza's cheeks turned the slightest shade of pink as she made a beeline to the stairs. "It's nothing!" she told him, and walking briskly up the stairs. Did she really just think that? That Gray, her best friend, looked good? Well, of _course_ he looked good, half the girls in the school wanted him, but he looked especially good—

"I know you're nervous, but can you slow down? Jeez, we're just going up the stairs and you're practically running!" Gray called after her, trying to catch up to her.

She turned around with a joking smile. "Soccer player, my ass." she laughed, and continued to her room.

Gray walked in and immediately collapsed face first on Erza's bed, limbs outstretched as he let out a content groan. "Just give me a moment, I forgot how comfortable your bed was." he told her, voice muffled from the blanket that covered his mouth.

"Gray! Get off, you'll wrinkle my dresses!" Erza cried, pushing Gray off the clothing she had laid so carefully on the bed. Gray laughed, and still lying down, propped himself up on his elbow. Erza watched as he gave her a seductive smile, arching an eyebrow.

"Draw me like one of your French girls." he purred.

Erza's face reddened once more. She grabbed a pillow off the ground and smacked him with it. "Quit it, you're here to help me!" she scolded. Gray laughed again, and moved to lie on his back.

"Okay, so Jellal's wearing red and black, and I need to match him." Erza explained.

"Why don't you wear something blue? That way you guys can match each other's hair." Gray suggested, and felt the pillow smack him again. "It was just a joke!"

Erza picked up the first dress: a simple, black club dress.

"No." was Gray's reply.

She held up another, this time a light pink one.

"No."

They went through two more dresses, with Gray's same reply.

"Gray, you're not helping! You're just saying no!" Erza whined.

Gray shrugged, "I just don't think they suit this occasion."

Erza went over to her closet, scanning the hangers of clothes once again. Gray, seeing her now distracted, took the opportunity to mention what had been on his mind since Monday.

"So…why are you going with Jellal again? I mean, what's so great about him?" he asked. Her hand rested on a long, black dress that had straps of lace. "That one." he added.

"What's not to like? He's athletic, good-looking, funny…" She pulled out the dress, "This one?" Gray nodded. She threw it on the bed and continued looking through her closet.

"What's it to you? You've never cared about the guys I date." Erza remarked.

"I do care! And dating? You're just going to winter formal together." Gray reasoned.

"Okay, well you've never cared_ this_ much."

"I just…" Gray pressed his lips together, and spoke again. "I have a bad feeling about this."

Erza paused, and turned to him with arms crossed. "Do you know something?"

He tried to keep his eyes from widening. "No, I just…I'm not saying this as Ultear's cousin, but…I think he still cares a lot for Ultear."

"So? You care a lot about me, but that doesn't mean you like me."

Gray's heart sank at that one, and his heart beat faster and faster in his chest. He cleared his throat. "Erza, all I'm saying is that he might just think of you as a rebound."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Gray knew he had struck a nerve. Erza looked at him in disbelief. "Are you joking?"

"Erza, I—"

"Is that all I am? A 'rebound' girl?" Gray didn't say a word, knowing he couldn't bring himself to explain the truth.

"I finally do something about my love life, and this is how you react? I thought you'd be happy for me!" She looked at him. He remained silent.

"Are you even…happy for me?" she asked him quietly, looking at him with eyes he couldn't meet.

"I have to go." he finally spoke, standing from the bed. "I'll see you at school."

Erza stayed silent, until she heard him close the front door as he left. She frowned to herself, still not believing that her best friend wasn't even happy for her.

Upset, she discreetly looked out her window in time to see Gray driving away. Her eyes fell on the dress he had picked out for her.

_It was a beautiful dress…  
_

X-x-X

Before anyone knew it, it was the night of winter formal. Erza was getting ready with Lucy, Mira, Levy, and Cana at Lucy's house, and later they'd all be meeting the boys for dinner.

"Mira help! I just messed up my makeup for the millionth time!" Levy pleaded, mascara smeared all over her browbones.

Mira laughed. "Of all the books you read Lev, you haven't read anything on makeup?" the white haired girl joked, as she grabbed a makeup wipe from the crowded bathroom counter.

"Speaking of reading, I read that alcohol makes things more fun." Cana, who was at the door of the bathroom, announced. The other girls looked at her, confused. Cana smirked as she pulled a bottle of gin from behind her back.

"Cana! I thought we agreed on no alcohol!" Erza gasped.

"Relax Erza, we'll only take a couple shots, ok? Just to make things more fun." Cana defended.

The girls looked at Erza for approval.

The redhead's face cracked into a grin. "Eh, why not." she approved, and they all cheered.

Amidst all the talking and normal chaos of five girls getting ready, one of their cellphones started ringing.

"Erza, that's your phone!" Lucy called, grabbing the device, "And it's Jellal!" The girls oohed at Erza, who rolled her eyes with a smile as she answered the phone, "Hello?"

"Hey Erza, how's it going?" Jellal asked.

"Great, I'm just getting ready with the girls!" she replied. Although they were going to winter formal together, Erza truly didn't know him all that well. She was hoping that dinner tonight would make them more familiar with each other.

"Sounds crazy." he laughed.

"Yeah, be glad you're not here to witness it. And on top of it all, Cana brought gin."

Jellal laughed. "Well don't drink too much. I don't want to deal with you puking while we're dancing!"

Erza blushed, and the two talked a bit more before hanging up. When she put her phone down, she smiled to herself. Jellal definitely seemed interested in her, contrary to Gray's warnings. She walked back in the bathroom. "So, what did Jellal want?" Mira asked with a smile as she applied some blush to Levy's cheeks.

"He just asked how things were going." Erza smiled, shrugging her shoulders casually.

"Oh, speaking of boys: Gray called, he said he's not going to the dance later cos he's busy." Lucy announced.

"What? What's he busy with?" Cana asked.

"Beats me." Lucy shrugged.

"Is he coming to dinner?" Mira asked.

"I asked him, but he said he can't make it to that either." Lucy replied.

"Damn. Dinner's gonna be way quiet, now that Natsu has no one to argue with." Cana realized.

Something inside Erza hurt. Going out was always ten times more fun with Gray, and he wasn't going? Worry filled her brain. She hadn't spoken to Gray since he came over on Thursday. What was he doing?

"Erza, get your dress on! We gotta hurry, or we'll be late!" Levy spoke, breaking the redhead's trance.

Right, she had Jellal. She didn't need to worry about Gray's absence, she would have just as much fun, if not more, with Jellal tonight. She put on a smile as she changed into her dress. It was gonna be a good night. But she couldn't get the sudden sinking feeling out of her chest.

X-x-X

Jellal looked at himself one last time in the mirror, straightening his black tie. He told Natsu and the others that he'd meet them at the restaurant, and he was already five minutes late.

Tonight could go either way: he and Erza could hit it off, or not. He didn't know her as well as Gray did, but he knew enough to know that she was not only one of the prettiest girls in the grade, but also not as uptight as people think she is.

He wasn't sure why he said yes in the first place. Maybe it was the heat of the moment. Maybe it was the fact that he wasn't gonna go unless he had a date.

Maybe it was because _she _wouldn't go with him.

She, of course, was Ultear. They still talked a lot over the past four months, but never about the break up. And the break up…they broke up because they needed a break, but it had been long enough, at least Jellal felt so. He still loved her, which was certain. But it seemed like she didn't feel the same. She just acted very normal, and friendly around him. But when he told her he was going with Erza…he could've sworn she looked hurt. Almost…jealous.

He shook his head. The night was about how he and Erza would go. He said yes because he needed something different, a clean slate, and he was determined to see if it would work out. He was about to grab his car keys, when he heard the doorbell ring. He was home alone, so he walked over and opened the door. Ultear stood in front of him.

"U-Ultear! Hey, what's going on?" he greeted.

"Um, I was in the area, and I thought I'd drop by…" She noticed his formal clothes. "Oh, you're going to winter formal, right. Am I keeping you from leaving? We can talk sometime else."

Jellal stepped back, making a clear path for her to come inside. "No, we can talk." he told her, and she stepped inside.

"I'll just call them and let them know I'll be late." Jellal told her, and Ultear nodded with a smile.

He left back to the foyer and dialed Erza. She picked up.

"Hey, what's up?"

"Hey, I'm just calling to say I'll be a little late to dinner. Something important came up."

"No, that's fine! Keep me updated. Natsu won't save you any leftovers, though."

He laughed at that one. "Thanks, I'll see you in a bit." he responded, and then hung up.

Jellal found Ultear in the living room. She turned to him and chuckled. "I haven't been here in a long time."

"Yeah…Four months and a week, actually, to be exact." Jellal remarked, crossing his arms. Ultear simply stared back at him. Was there…_pain _in her eyes?

"Can we talk?" she asked. He nodded, sensing her seriousness, and ushered her to the couch. She took a seat. He almost sat down next to her, just like they used to, but sensing her slight discomfort he pulled up a chair to sit across from her.

"What's going on? You look pale, are you ok—" he reached up to put a hand on her face, but she pulled away. Understanding, he brought his hand down, disappointed.

"I'm fine, I just needed to say…" She took a deep breath, and then looked up at him. "I wanted to say I'm okay with you and Erza dating. It's been four months, and if you've already moved on I'm okay with that, I just…I just need more time…" she paused, "because I still really, really like you."

Jellal stared back at her in shock. _Did that just happen?_

She saw his surprised expression, and standing up she apologized. "I'm sorry, I know you're into Erza now, but I just had to let you know. I can leave, so—"

Jellal grabbed her hand, and she looked back at him. "Wait, so…you really like me?" he asked disbelievingly.

Ultear sat back down and nodded. "Yeah, I still do. But it's completely fine if you like Erza, I just need time—"

"Ultear, Ultear." he said, quieting her. "I only said yes to Erza to try to get over you." She tilted her head in confusion.

"I'm still in love with you." Jellal admitted, a smile on his face.

Ultear's face broke into a smile as well. "You are?" she laughed, putting her hands in his.

"I really am." he laughed, and leaned forward, pressing his lips into the ones he thought he'd never feel again.

X-x-X 

The music was blaring from the speakers. Everyone was dancing and enjoying themselves. As the song ended, Erza and the four other girls laughed, and found a table to sit at.

"Man, I LOVE that song!" Levy laughed.

"This is way more fun than I thought it'd be!" Cana remarked, and the girls agreed.

Erza snuck a glance at the clock. It had been an hour since they had arrived, and Jellal was nowhere in sight. She looked around the dancefloor once more, and still couldn't find him. She _did_ see his friends Sting and Rouge, both boys with their dates, but Jellal wasn't with them. She checked her phone; no missed calls or messages.

"Erza, don't worry, he'll show up!" Lucy smiled, putting an encouraging her hand on Erza's arm.

"Yeah, I really hope so." Erza faked a smile, and looked at the door.

_Where was he?_

X-x-X 

Forty-five minutes passed. Erza was sitting at the table, this time alone. A slow song played on the dancefloor, and all her friends dancing with their dates. She sat there, her red lipstick still bright, staring at the unmoving door.

She pulled out her phone and checked it: No new messages. She had sent a message to Gray earlier too, asking if he was busy tonight, but he still hadn't replied.

"Hey Erza." a voice behind her greeted. She rolled her eyes as Rogue took the seat beside her.

"Hi, Rogue. Where's your date?" she greeted back, faking her kindness. Rogue was one of the biggest assholes in the school; she hated being around him and Sting.

Rogue nodded his head towards the bathroom. "Fixing her hair, something about a missing bobbypin." Erza nodded, hoping that he'd leave, but he leaned closer instead. "Where's Jellal? I thought you guys were going together." he asked with a smile, almost as if he knew why Jellal wasn't there.

"You tell me." was her response.

"You want me to tell you what I think?" He smirked, and whatever the sinking feeling Erza had earlier came back.

"I think he used you."

Gray's words echoed in her head. "You _what?_" Erza asked, irritated to hear the same thing twice.

"I said, I think he used you."

"What do you mean, Rogue." Erza demanded, crossing her arms.

"You know he still has a thing for Ultear. Everyone knows. Of course he wouldn't be into you, not when he has a girl like that for him too." He sneered, and Erza tried her best to ignore it, but his words stung. And she wasn't sure if it stung because there was a possibility of it being true, or if it was because she had heard it all before.

From Gray.

"Excuse me." Erza mumbled, and got up to leave. She exited the dance floor and made her way to the bathroom, walking down the long hall.

"Erza!" a voice called. She turned around and saw Sting standing before her.

"What, Sting?" she asked, clearly more than annoyed.

"I was just wondering where Jellal was? I thought you guys were going together?"

"Well, why don't you ask Rogue. He seems to have an idea, most likely untrue if you ask me."

"Was it about Ultear?"

Erza's eye twitched. "Yeah…why?"

"Well, I don't know if Rogue told you, but…on our way over, we passed by Jellal's house. And Ultear was there."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, she was at the door, and he let her inside." He smirked. "Kinda funny how fast he forgot about winter formal, huh?"

Pain shot through Erza's body again. She turned and walked away from him, trying to get to the bathroom as fast as possible.

"Don't say I didn't warn you!" he called down the hall. Erza walked faster, that sinking feeling getting deeper and deeper. All she wanted was to be alone…

She opened the bathroom door, only to find Minerva, of all people, standing there, reapplying her makeup. The black haired girl turned around, and seeing Erza, smirked. "Long time no see, Scarlet." Erza ignored her, going to the last sink to wash her hands.

"Well hello to you too." Minerva scoffed, going back to look at herself in the mirror. And then, she turned to her. "Weren't you supposed to be here with someone?" Erza stayed silent.

"Who was it, who was it…oh, yeah. Jellal Fernandes, right?" she smirked.

Erza looked at her and glared, "What's it to you?"

"No, no, I was just surprised. Last Tuesday I could've sworn he told me he was still into Ultear." Erza's eyes widened.

"You asked him on Monday, did you not?" Minerva prodded. Erza didn't respond. She looked down at the sink, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Well, I'll let that one settle. Try to have some fun, Erza." Minerva laughed, and left the bathroom.

Erza frowned, and dialed Jellal's number. She was determined to get to the bottom of this. He picked up after three rings.

"Jellal?" she asked, hearing silence on the other end.

"E—Erza?" he asked, "Shit, what time is it?" Realization struck the both of them. Jellal cleared his throat, "Shit, Erza, I can explain."

"Could you?" Erza asked, feeling more tears form behind her eyes, but she didn't let them fall.

"I…Erza, you know Ultear? Well, we used to date, and…" The sinking feeling was getting

deeper and deeper, painful and more painful.

"She came right before I was supposed to leave, and…um, I don't know how else to explain it, but…we're back together now."

Erza was silent.

"Erza? You still there?"

"Yeah, I…I completely understand. Thanks for letting me know." she finally responded, trying to make her voice as steady as possible.

"Thanks for understanding."

More silence.

"I'm sorry I couldn't make it." he apologized.

Erza swallowed, but the lump in her throat just got bigger. "I'm sorry, too." She hung up, not knowing why she apologized.

She looked at herself in the mirror, the hopelessness on her face clear.

"He said he'd be here." she whispered in the empty bathroom. 

X-x-X 

Erza went back to the dance floor, just to say goodbye to her friends.

"But Erza! The dance isn't even over yet!" Lucy whined.

"Yeah, you've only been here for two hours!" Mira added.

"Jellal's probably on his way too, you wouldn't want him to show up and not have a date!" Cana spoke.

Something inside Erza snapped when she heard Jellal's name. "Really? Cos he just did that to me." she lashed out, not even realizing that her tears already had fallen down her cheeks. The girls looked confused, but Erza continued. "God, I was so stupid! Don't tell me you guys haven't figured it out either. He not showing up, and he won't! At all!"

Lucy stepped forward, her expression apologetic. "Erza…" she spoke, but Erza pulled away.

She stared at all her friends, who were looking at her the same way. She realized her tears were streaming down her face.

_What was she supposed to do?  
__What was she supposed to say?_

She turned, and disregarding her friend's shouts she ran out the door. Jellal didn't show. And not only that, but Gray, the person that meant the most to her, didn't show either. 

X-x-X 

Gray ran down the length of the indoor field, the artificial grass below his feet feeling unusually dry. He angrily kicked the soccer ball into the goal, the ball landing inside perfectly. He sighed, running to retrieve the ball.

Of course he was angry. He was alone—yeah, he said he wasn't going to winter formal for obvious reasons, but his brother was out, and Ultear was who knows where. And on top of all that, he and Erza hadn't spoken in days. He needed her, but he knew she needed her space more.

From a farther spot, he kicked the ball in the goal once more. Was he really at fault in their fight? He just wanted to protect her. And if she got hurt, then so be it. He grabbed the ball and kicked it again.

He really didn't want to see her hurt, he just wanted her to see that he was right.

He picked up the ball and made his way home. 

X-x-X 

Gray stepped out of the shower, wearing only his sweatpants. He shook out his wet hair, and looked at the clock: it was already 10:30. _Had he really been alone this whole time?_

He checked his phone, and saw a missed call from Erza. He frowned, concerned, but waved it off. It was probably a butt-dial; besides, what would she have to call him about? Winter formal lasted for another hour and a half, and if she made it this far without saying anything to him, she was clearly having a good time.

The doorbell rang, the chime piercing through the silence of the house. Gray looked through his closet, after realizing that wearing a shirt would be a good idea, but couldn't find one. The doorbell rang twice more.

"Jeez, what's the rush?" he murmured, and dropped the whole shirt idea after he couldn't find one. "They'll just have to deal." he told himself, as he jogged down the stairs.

He opened the front door, and was shocked to see that in front of him, stood Erza. She was wearing the dress he picked out, he noticed, but something was wrong. Her makeup was smeared in streaks down her face, her hair was disheveled, her heels were held in her hand…but most importantly, she was alone.

"E—" he barely got out, when Erza suddenly stepped into his bare chest, her arms wrapping around his torso. Ignoring his now red face, he closed the door behind her and held her back at arm's length.

"Holy shit, Erz. Are you okay?" he asked, deeply concerned. His best friend simply shook her head as she began to cry, and wrapped her arms around him once more. Gray held her, before ushering her to the living room. He gently sat her down, and went to the kitchen to grab her some water.

"Talk to me, Erza. You know I hate it when you go mute." he told her as he returned, handing her a glass. Erza took it gratefully, and after drinking, looked at him. Anger welled up in his chest as he saw the sadness in her eyes.

"Did Jellal do this to you?! Whatever the hell he did, I'll make him regret it!" Gray fumed, but calmed when he was met with Erza's silence. "Erza…" he murmured gently, cautiously but caringly putting his hand on her knee.

She looked at the floor. "He never showed up."

Gray frowned, "What do you mean?"

"He…he said he was coming, and I waited for him, I waited alone, only to get a stupid phone call hours later." She started crying again, but softer than before. Gray moved his hand to her shoulder.

"What happened?"

"You…you were right. He got back together with Ultear, and he forgot about the dance…" She looked at Gray with the same tear-streaked face. "I just wish he would have explained himself in person." Gray's expression remained the same, not sure what to tell her.

"I guess, I knew somewhere in the back of my mind I knew I wasn't going to be happy with him. I just wanted to see…if I could feel just as happy with someone else like I do with you." she admitted, looking back at Gray. His eyebrows raised just the slightest bit.

Erza didn't notice, and she continued, "I was completely wrong. After he called, Sting and Rogue were there, and Minerva…" she trailed off. "Everyone was there, and I broke down in front of all of them."

"You were in a bad position. No one should ever make you feel that way." Gray finally spoke.

Erza nodded. "But what hurt the most is that you were right, and I didn't listen to you." She put her hand on his. "I'm so sorry, Gray."

Gray took her hand and pulled her in, hugging her tightly. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you." Erza smiled, realizing that that was the only real apology she had heard all night.

Erza pulled back. "Well, now what do I do?" she asked, "I'm dateless, dressed up, and at your house."

Gray laughed, "Sounds like the usual." She threw a couch pillow at him, as he got up from the couch to the stereo system that was in the back of the room.

"What are you doing?" she asked, as the room filled with the opening vocals of 'Fall' by Justin Bieber. Erza scoffed, jaw dropping.

Gray walked over to her with a smirk. "Well, you said it yourself: you're dateless, dressed up, and here. So…" Gray comically got on one knee and held out his hand.

Erza threw her head back and laughed, "You are _not _doing this right now."

"Erza Scarlet, may I have this dance?" Gray asked, ignoring her comment and trying to keep from laughing himself.

"Yes, you may." Erza laughed, as Gray pulled her up into his arms. Her arms reached up perfectly to his height, and her head rested naturally in between his toned chest and shoulder.

His arms hooked around her waist as they swayed together in the living room.

Erza laughed, "This is so 2012. Do I want to know why you have this so readily on hand?"

"Shut up, it's semi-recent! Besides...it's a good song." Gray murmured the last part.

"What was that?"

"Nothing." Gray shrugged. Erza chuckled, and smiled as the cheesy lyrics sounded around her.

"Shit." Gray cursed.

"What?" Erza asked, looking up at him.

"I'm not wearing a shirt…I swear, I was about to put one on, but you kept ringing the freaking doorbell—"

"You've been pretty nice to me, so I'll let it slide just this once." she laughed.

"Just this once?!" Gray demanded.

Erza kissed him on the cheek with a smile. "Okay, shutting up." Gray murmured, and she laughed, realizing just how right she felt in Gray's arms. 

X-x-X 

"I can't believe Gray stayed home alone this whole time." Lyon remarked with a laugh, following Ultear through the front door. The two had just returned home, and Lyon and Gray were spending the weekend at Ultear's house.

"Yeah, me neither. Can you imagine his face when we tell him how much he missed?" Ultear replied, and they shared a laugh. It had only been a couple few hours, but in that time not only had Ultear gotten back together with Jellal, but Lyon had asked his date, Juvia, to be his girlfriend.

"I'm so hungry, Jesus." Lyon whined, sulking out of the foyer to the kitchen.

"Grab me some fruit snacks, would you?" Ultear called, taking off her shoes. All she wanted was to lie down on the memory foam couch and watch movies. She walked to the living room, and froze.

"Do you want the blue kind or the red—" Lyon asked, walking into the living room, only to collide into Ultear's back. "Ultear, what the heck?" he asked, but Ultear just looked at him with a smile and gestured inside the room.

He looked past her, and saw Gray and Erza on the couch. They were both under a blanket and sleeping, Erza balled up on his lap and Gray's arms wrapped around her. The TV screen in front of them rolled the credits of their unfinished movie.

"Oh my god." both Ultear and Lyon gasped.

"They're so cute!" Ultear squealed.

"Should we wake them up?" Lyon asked.

"No, of course not!" Ultear scolded.

"Please, Ultear! We can pour ice water on them! Ooh, no, there's whipped cream in the fridge! Pleeeease?" Lyon begged, but Ultear slapped his arm.

"Don't be rude! You are not to touch them." she scolded, and left the room.

Lyon looked back at the sleeping couple. Shrugging, he took out his phone and snapped a picture of the two. "At least it'll be facebook official." he smirked, and put his phone away, jogging up to his guest room.

The couple remained sleeping, not even stirring from the commotion. 

X-x-X 

Erza stirred from her sleep. What happened last night? All she remembered was leaving the dance and showing up at Gray's house…

_Gray!_ She looked up to see his sleeping face. She smiled, and realizing how close they were, blushed. She looked at the clock: 2 AM. Her parents thought she was sleeping over at Lucy's. She grabbed her phone, about to text Lucy, when Gray started to stir.

He opened his eyes, running a hand through his hair before smiling at her. "What time is it?" he asked, and Erza showed him her phone. "Lyon tagged you in a picture?" he asked, puzzled.

"What?" Erza asked, confused as well. They both looked at her phone, and sure enough the said notification was there. In fact, her phone was suddenly vibrating with numerous incoming notifications.

"He tagged you on Instagram and Twitter _and_ Facebook?! What'd you do, Erz?" Gray asked with a laugh. He checked his own phone, and made the same confused expression. "Wait, he tagged me too." Gray realized.

"Well, let's look!" Erza decided, and both on their phones, opened the Facebook one:

The picture was of Gray and Erza sleeping together on the couch, their arms wrapped around each other. Both of their faces reddened as they read Lyon's comment: "Who needs winter formal when you can sleep?" To their dismay, the picture had exactly 97 likes…and counting.

"You've gotta be kidding me." Gray muttered, mentally cursing his brother.

Lucy Heartfilia: OMG YOU GUYS SINCE WHEN?!  
Cana Alberona: when can I be the godmother of your children  
Natsu Dragneel: GRAY OMG GOOD JOB I KNEW YOU COULD DO IT  
Gajeel Redfox: Bow chicka bow wow

There were more comments, but they couldn't read them from laughing so hard.

"Oh my god, we have to get him back." Erza told him, her laughter dying down.

Gray looked at the picture. "Lyon posted this two hours ago…he's definitely asleep now." He gave her a mischievous look that she returned.

"Where's he sleeping?"

"Follow me." Gray said, and they crept quietly up the stairs, phones in hand.

Erza smiled to herself. Her happiness, truly, was with Gray. 

X-x-X 

Lyon woke up the next morning. Getting out of bed, he put his phone in his pocket and went down for breakfast. Sitting in front of him at the dining room table were Erza, Gray, and Ultear. They all stared at him, smiling.

"Hey, Lyon." Ultear greeted, "How did you sleep?"

"Uh, fine." Lyon responded, grabbing the three waffles that were in the toaster. He did a double take, remembering that Gray and Erza were there. "How bout you two?" he asked, nodding his head toward the couple, "Did you see the picture? 108 likes, that's a lot."

Erza nodded. "Yeah, thanks for that. Did you see yours?"

Lyon looked at them, very confused, only to be met with their smirking faces.

He checked his phone, and saw that, in fact, Gray had tagged him in a picture. Definitely suspicious, he opened the picture and read single word in the caption: "Payback." He scrolled down to the picture.

It was a picture of him sleeping.

But not just any picture.

He was wearing the boxers his mom got him; they were Easter themed, white with pastel-colored eggs and cute, hopping bunnies all around. He was also curled up in ball, big-spooning his pillow which had somehow changed from its normal navy blue cover to a very bright, very colorful, very _Sailor Moon_ one. He read the comments:

Loke: In the name of the moon, I will punish you!  
Juvia Loxar: wtf is this real  
Natsu Dragneel: I will right wrongs and triumph over evil and the mean YOU!

And worst of all: 195 likes.

The horror on his face was evident and the other three people at the table cracked up, sprinting as fast as they could out the front door. Lyon chased after them, stopping at the open door as he watched them run off.

"FUCK YOU!" he screeched.

* * *

**Hope you all enjoyed, and leave a review if you can! reviews=motivation=more updates, ya? I have the next few chapters already planned, but do leave a review if there's something specific you'd like to read :3  
**

**See you next time!  
****PinkKoala213**


	3. Dark Paradise

Hey guys! I hope everyone's summer is going great. This is something different from what I usually write. It's M for swearing and serious themes, but that's really it. I hope you all like it, and do leave a review if you do! They really mean a lot.

* * *

.

* * *

V.v.v.V

"_And whatever happens, I pray to you: don't go somewhere I can't follow."_

V.v.v.V

The warm rays of sunlight poured through the open window. A soft breeze passed through the quiet room, moving the stray strands of hair about Erza's face. She felt the warm, fuzzy feeling in her stomach and smiled, wrapping her arms around the bare waist of the body next to hers. Putting her nose to his back, she inhaled his scent: the smell of warm, cozy naps, a touch of men's cologne, and the slightest hint of peppermint.

Exhaling deeply, she let go and turned towards the sunlight. A hand snaked around her waist as she did so, and a cool body pressed gently against hers. She laughed quietly, and was about to turn around to greet the person next to her when her eyes fell on the clock.

"Shit, Gray, it's almost time to leave!" Erza realized, and jumped out of the bed and out of Gray's loving embrace.

Gray groaned as he stretched, watching his girlfriend frantically throw clothes into a suitcase that was on the ground. "Erza, we have time." he grumbled, and sat up. He smirked as he watched her pack hastily. "Our mission is taste testing ice cream for a new restaurant." He watched as she continued packing. "It'll take one day at most, you don't need to bring a suitcase."

Erza frowned, "I'm packing for any situation. You'll be sorry when you realize you realize you left your rain boots here."

"And when I realize I forgot my snowpants? In an ice cream parlor_?_"

Erza pouted her lips and gave him a sheepish look, to which Gray laughed. "You don't need to pack for anything, just come back here." he continued, extending his arms out to the requip mage.

Erza crossed her arms and smiled as she rolled her eyes. "Normally, I would love to, but Natsu and Lucy will be here any minute." she pointed out, tossing a shirt at Gray's face. Gray grumbled something else and Erza smirked, crossing by the bed to pick up the pillows that had fallen to the floor during their sleep.

She yelped in giddy surprise as Gray suddenly pulled her back onto their bed. His toned arms wrapped around her waist- she was immobile in his loving embrace. He put his nose in the crook of her neck, smiling as Erza laughed at his actions. "Gray!" she whined, trying to wiggle her way out.

"How long do we have? 20 minutes?" he mumbled.

"It's 15 now, no thanks to you."

"Perfect: we can stay here for 15 minutes, until they come banging on our door."

Erza laughed and turned to face him, "You're lucky I like you."

"Love you too."

They laid in silence. All the peace and quiet reminded her of a question, something she had been thinking about for as long as she could remember.

"Gray?" she asked.

"Mm." he grunted.

"Do you think dying would be...nice?"

Gray suddenly sat up. "Are you alright? Why would you ask that?" he asked, concern in his voice.

"I'm fine, Gray, really. I was just thinking about it," she turned to him, "What do you think?"

"How do I feel about it?" She nodded. "Well," he continued, "I guess it could go both ways…It wouldn't be nice, because you've left the world you've grown up in and the people you love and all your unfinished ambitions." he paused, then continued, "But it would be nice to finally be at peace, y'know?" He paused again. "Whatever I die of, I don't want it to be in vain. I'll need closure from everything before I die to truly be at peace."

Erza nodded, "I want to be known for who I am and what I've done, not how I left," she sighed, "and when I die I want someone to be on the other side with me. Whether it's before me or after, I don't care. Just so long as someone else is there."

"You know that our guild has the best mages in the world, right?" Gray asked.

"Yeah, but our field of work isn't the safest, and really you never know what will happen…" Erza pondered out loud, "Like what if we went on a mission, and one of us-"

"Erza, you know we all look out for each other, always!" Gray interrupted, her thoughts clearly causing him alarm.

She smiled. "You're right, we never let our guard down at the expense of our comrades!" she agreed.

Gray smiled at her. "Spoken like a true guild master." he admired, curling a strand of hair behind Erza's ear as she blushed. "Can you promise me something?"

Erza immediately frowned, "Gray, you know that if anything happened to you, I would avenge you no matter what. And you for me, and for anyone in our guild."

"Not just that…will you wait for me?" Gray turned on his side and took her hands. "No matter what or where the other side is, promise me you'll wait for me." He stared at her, his serious expression unfaltering.

Erza's frown broke into a smile, as she cupped her hands around his face. "Of course I will. As long as you do the same for me." she promised, and brought Gray's face to hers as she gently kissed him.

They were interrupted by a dull _thud _that sounded near their window. The couple turned around, and looked to see Natsu, Lucy, and Happy outside, waiting for them. Gray jumped up and walked to the window...only to see that the top of it was on fire.

Erza gasped in disbelief as Gray stuck his head out the window. "Natsu, what the hell?!" he shouted, hand pointed at the small fire that was burning the top of the window.

Erza jumped up and joined her boyfriend. "That's the sixth one this month Natsu, what the fuck?!" she scolded.

"You guys are three minutes late! Hurry up, I want my ice cream now!" Natsu yelled back, hands blazing. Lucy, who was standing beside him, shrugged indifferently.

Erza grunted in frustration as she turned to Gray, "Now we're actually late!"

"And we'll _actually_ leave!" Gray agreed, picking up a shirt from the ground and putting it on.

Erza grabbed a glass of water nearby and doused the fire, to Natsu's disappointment. "We'll be out in a minute! NO MORE FIREBALLS!" Erza shouted, and closed the window. She requipped into her normal armor and skirt, and turned to Gray. "Ready?" she asked.

He nodded, "Ready." She stepped out of the room first as she and Gray made their way downstairs to the front door. She was about to open it when Gray spoke, "Wait, one more thing."

Erza turned around, annoyed, when her lips were suddenly met with Gray's. He pulled back with a smirk, "I love you."

"I love you too." she rolled her eyes, and they stepped out the door.

"IT'S ABOUT TIME!"

"SHUT UP, NATSU!"

V.v.v.V

"It shouldn't be like this." Natsu hissed. He was looking down, but even so Lucy couldn't bring herself to look at him. She shivered in the cold. The sky was a dark gray and the air was freezing, the rain pounding on her black umbrella. She closed her eyes, tears falling down her face. She turned to Natsu and withheld a gasp as she saw him fall to the ground.

"DAMN IT!" the fire mage roared, his fists pounding the muddy ground he knelt on in anger. "IT SHOULDN'T BE LIKE THIS!"

"Natsu-" Lucy insisted as she started to kneel down, trying to suppress her tears, trying to be strong for him, for _all_ of them, but she stood back up as he pushed her hands away.

"GRAY, YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE!" he shouted into the melancholy air. His rage was only met with the sound of the rain profusely hitting the ground. Each of his words was a stab to Lucy's heart.

She couldn't control it anymore. With a loud cry she fell to the ground, her sobs shaking her entire body. Natsu instinctively held her, their combined devastation almost too much to bear.

Erza was the only one that hadn't moved, staring passively at the engraved stone slab in front of her. Still standing, with her black clothes and umbrella, she turned to her mourning friends. "He'll always be with us." she spoke, her words lingering in the cold air. She looked up to the sky. "He's still here."

While Natsu remained silent, Lucy looked up at Erza in appreciation. "Your strength, Erza, is always something I've admired...but how can you, of _all_ of us, stay so strong now? It's...it's been only a week..." she asked earnestly, her tears still falling.

"I don't see why you're both mourning...It's like you haven't seen Gray everyday." Erza responded. Her answer made Lucy's face graver than it was before.

"What the _hell_ are you talking about?!" Natsu snapped. Although he was crying, his eyes reflected an anger that Lucy had never seen before.

Erza merely gave him an apathetic stare. "I see him every night."

Lucy turned away from her best friend, putting her face into her hands as she sobbed harder than before. Natsu pounded the ground in anger again, this time looking at Erza. "Do you hear yourself?! Gray is dead, Erza. _DEAD_! AS IN_ NOT LIVING_! HOW HARD IS THAT FOR YOU TO UNDERSTAND?!" he shouted. Lucy's cries took up the space in the silence.

Erza's face twisted into bitter confusion. "I understand that you're upset, but your demeanor doesn't justify what happened." she seethed.

Natsu stared back at her in utter disbelief. Lucy looked at Erza in fear. "Erza, are you really unaware that…?" she asked, but the outright confusion on Erza's face was an answer enough.

"I'm going home now. Maybe Gray will tell me what's wrong, because you guys aren't making any sense at all." she stated dismissively, and turned to leave.

Natsu cried convulsively. Lucy's mourning increased with a new despair for Erza. She watched her retreating figure disbelievingly.

"I don't understand..." she whispered, and again found herself sharing her misery in Natsu's embrace.

V.v.v.V

Relief flooded Lucy's body as her gaze fell upon the scarlet haired mage she was looking for. She walked briskly toward Erza, who was sitting at the riverbank, looking peacefully over the water.

"Erza?" Lucy asked, slowing down as she neared her friend.

Erza turned around calmly. "Lucy, you found me." she stated, then turned back to the water as her friend sat next to her.

"I figured you'd be here." Lucy informed her. She took a breath and spoke cautiously, "I wanted to let you know that I recognize my and Natsu's actions back there. I'm sorry if we confused you."

Erza simply shrugged, "It's alright. Everything was understandable; I guess Gray hasn't taken the time to see you guys since the mission."

Lucy bit her lip, trying keep her sadness from showing. "Erza," she spoke, and the redhead turned to her, "I don't think Gray's coming back."

Erza tilted her head in confusion. "What makes you say that?"

"I just...have a feeling." she answered, shaking her head.

"I see him every night, Lucy."

"Don't you think you should...move on?"

"Move on to what?"

"I just...I just think you need to let him go. Just to keep you more...grounded."

"I really don't see how that would help."

"You...you really don't?"

"Gray is the person that _keeps_ me grounded, Lucy. I'm not letting him go. Besides, I'm fine, and have been fine." Erza told her, standing up. "I'm going home, care to join me?"

Lucy sadly shook her head. Erza turned and left as Lucy looked out across the water. After some time, she turned around and saw Erza's figure far behind her, getting smaller with every step she took.

_How can you do this to yourself?_

V.v.v.V

A cool night breeze floated through the open window. The room was dark, save for the little bit of moonlight that gleamed through the window. Erza shifted sleepily, and was about to turn to her other side when she felt a familiar hand rest on her outstretched one.

She slowly opened her eyes and saw Gray laying beside her on his back, smiling as she recognized him. "Hi." she smiled, moving towards the ice mage.

"Hey, Scarlet." he responded, sitting up the slightest bit. She rested her head on his abdomen, his cool skin calming all of her nerves. She proceeded to tell him what happened with Natsu and Lucy earlier that day.

"I think they want me to stop talking to you," she concluded, and looked up to him, "but I don't see why." She watched as Gray's eyes cast downward sadly.

"Maybe you should." he admitted, turning to meet her gaze.

Erza sat up to face him, now troubled. "No, I shouldn't! They're only saying it because they don't see you everyday, but I do! So why should I listen to them?" she countered.

"You're right, I do see you everyday." he smiled, but his eyes were unmistakably glassy. She knew he was hiding something. Instead of prodding him, however, she turned to rest her head on his stomach.

"I miss you. So much." she whispered, her hands clasped tightly.

"I know you do." They sat in the darkness, silent. After a while, Gray spoke again, "Erza, I have to go now."

Erza watched as he slowly sat up and moved out of the bed. She ignored the fact that he looked paler than usual. "Now?" she asked, and he nodded. "I want to be with you, Gray." she declared.

"I know you do...but you can't. It's not your time." Before Erza could ask what he meant, Gray turned around and handed something to her. "Here, you can hold on to this for now." he suggested, and put a long, dark blue pillow in her arms.

Erza gave him an expectant stare. "Is there a reason you brought the couch pillow up here?"

"You knew these are my favorite pillows, but you just _had _to put them in the living room, huh?"

"It's all about the presentation, Gray. Your couch pillows don't belong in the bedroom, and they never will." she joked, smiling as Gray playfully rolled his eyes.

He walked back toward the bed, and put his hand on Erza's hair. "Go to sleep, alright?" he smiled, stroking her hair.

"Gray, I don't want to…" she tried to protest, but found her eyelids suddenly heavy.

"I love you…" Gray spoke just as Erza closed her eyes.

. . . . .

Erza awakened, sitting up. It was dawn. She looked around the room-no one was there. _Was that...was that a dream? _ She fell back into the bed in discontent, her heart aching, when she realized that in her arms was a long, blue pillow.

V.v.v.V

Erza walked into the guild that morning, pleased to see that the majority of her comrades were inside. The usual hubbub of voices hummed throughout the building. Erza walked to her usual table, sitting next to Lucy and across from Natsu. "Hey guys." she greeted.

"Hey, Erza." Lucy greeted back. The blonde looked at Natsu, who then looked to Erza.

Natsu cleared his throat. "Erza, I'm sorry for the things I said yesterday. They weren't needed at all, and…" he apologized, but Erza put her hand up, silencing him.

"It's fine, Natsu. And I'm sorry for confusing you both yesterday, I realized what I said upset you guys. I just...I didn't realize Gray was only visiting me."

Natsu looked at her incredulously. "You can't be serious." he stated. Erza tilted her head, confused again.

"Natsu…" Lucy murmured in an attempt to calm the dragon slayer, but he was already angry.

"We've been over this SO many times!" Natsu told the redhead, his voice suddenly louder than it was before.

"Natsu, you're making a _scene-_" Lucy added, noticing all the stares that had suddenly drawn to their table.

"No, Luce, she needs to hear this." he disagreed, and turned to Erza. "You haven't seen Gray, Erza! You haven't seen him at all! WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO GET THAT THROUGH YOUR HEAD?!"

"I _have _seen him! I've seen him since I got back from the hospital after our mission, I've seen him every night!" Erza shouted back.

"The hospital-?" Natsu shook his head in realization, "Erza, you BLACKED OUT after our mission. That's why you were hospitalized. I don't know what turned off in your brain, but since then you've been claiming you've seen Gray!"

"But I DO!"

"It doesn't _count,_ Erza, SEEING HIM IN YOUR HEAD _DOESN'T COUNT!_"

"Where I see him doesn't matter, the only thing that does is if I see him at all!"

Natsu exhaled angrily. "I knew his death would affect you the most. I knew you would be in denial. I saw your passiveness toward the whole situation, and I thought you were getting better. I thought you were slowly getting over him. But you HAVEN'T. You're still the same person you were WHEN HE DIED."

Natsu's words put Erza in a state of shock. _Died? Surely Gray hasn't died… _

"His memory must be kept alive…and if this is Erza's way of doing so, then shouldn't we leave her be…?" Lucy suggested to the fire mage, who shook his head.

"It isn't right Luce, it isn't right." He turned to the other girl in front of him. "I know you loved him, Erza. I know you miss him. Hell, we _all_ miss him. But he's gone. DEAD. And your little 'visions' don't help us at all! You're just reminding us that he's gone forever!"

Erza just shook her head, trying to escape from the cruelty of Natsu's words.

"Just…do us all a favor. And I speak for the whole guild here, not just us. Just…" Natsu looked at her, "Let him go."

Hot, salty tears streaked down Erza's face. "He's still here, he's still with us." she spoke, getting up from the table. " I can't believe that you," she looked at Natsu, "and all of you," she continued, looking out at her guildmates, "would just…"

Erza's words were met with the crestfallen faces of those around her. Lucy hands were clasped together, her knuckles completely white as she looked at Erza with pained eyes. Gajeel's usual hardened expression was replaced with something darker. Even Cana couldn't look at her, her clenched fist trembling on the table as she tried to hold back her tears. Bisca, Levy, Elfman...each face held only despair and misery. Her vision became cloudier. "I...I can't…" Erza stammered. She turned and walked away. As she strode out the guild, she felt the disconcertment fill her body. She needed to breathe.

V.v.v.V

Erza trudged along the paths beside the forests of Magnolia, her pace brisk. With each step she tried to forget every single one of Natsu's words and every single face she had seen at the guild- but it was impossible. She was confused, upset, and needed someone, but no one was there for her. Just as she thought about her sudden loneliness, a voice spoke next to her.

"Another walk? This is the second one today." Gray remarked, falling into step beside her.

"I have a lot on my mind, and...it was so suffocating in there. I needed to breathe." she told him.

"Understandable."

"...What are you doing here, Gray?"

"Taking a walk with some weird lady, why?" He laughed, put an arm around her waist and kissed her temple. While the gesture made her happy, she couldn't bring a smile to her face. Gray immediately noticed and frowned. "What's wrong?" he asked, concerned.

"I...I don't know what to do anymore, Gray." She slipped out of his arm and began slowly walking ahead. "I see you, all the time. I talk to you, I can _feel_ you. But no one believes me. They don't even try, they just flat out refuse to." She took a breath, and continued, "Everyone tells me I'm 'living in the past,' and I have to 'move on' and 'let you go.' I just...I just don't understand _why_."

She turned around, expecting to see him smiling, to explain to her everything that was going on, to tell her that everyone had gone _crazy _and they were the only sane ones. But when she met his eyes she was once again looking into the face of her comrades, the same face of complete and utter despair.

"Gray..?"

"I need to go, Erza." he told her, walking ahead. They had reached the end of the path, now near the top of a cliff that provided an overlook of the town.

"Wait, no! Where are you going?!" Erza demanded, following him.

"I need to go," he told her, and stopped to turn around. "Please, get along with everyone. Listen to what they're telling you, because it's all true."

Frustrated tears brimmed along Erza's eyes as she followed Gray to the cliff. "You can't leave, Gray! I don't understand anything, or anyone...no one's giving me answers!"

"I'll see you soon." he told her. He seemed to be floating past the cliff, but Erza took little notice.

She shook her head, refusing to believe that he was leaving now. "I want to be with you, why is that so bad?!" she pleaded, almost at the edge of the cliff.

"Don't take another step, Erza!" Gray urged, hoping she would catch the seriousness of his tone...because he couldn't catch her.

"I need...I just need to be with you- " Reaching out to Gray she picked up her front foot. Horror flashed in Gray's eyes as he reached out to her, almost as if...to save her.

All of her weight was almost on her front foot, when she heard a shriek behind her.

"ERZA!"

She spun around, but her balance was uneven. She looked below the cliff in fear, seeing all the trees, rocks, and how _high_ the cliff was...when a hand latched around hers, keeping her from falling. She turned to see that Lucy had saved her, the blonde's face ridden with terror.

"What do you think you're doing?!" she shrieked, pulling Erza back to safety.

"I was with Gray!" Erza snapped defensively.

The terror in Lucy's eyes left, and she fell to her knees, crying. Erza, frowning, knelt with her friend. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Why...why did you have to block it out?" Lucy asked, and wept into her hands. Erza was confused by her question but held her nonetheless. After a while, Lucy's cries subsided, and, now calm, looked at the redhead. "Erza...how bout you spend the night tonight? Just us, like old times." Lucy proposed.

Erza smiled, "I would like that a lot."

Lucy smiled back, more tears falling down her face. _At least she'll be with me. _she thought.

V.v.v.V

. . . . .

"Natsu!" Lucy shrieked as the pink haired boy was thrown violently to the ground by a supernatural force. He lay motionless on the ground. "Natsu!" Lucy shrieked again as she ran over to him, and checked his pulse. His heart was still beating, but he was out cold. She turned to the man at fault and snarled, immediately getting up, her hand around a key.

Just three days before, Team Natsu had agreed to a mission that involved finding a kidnapped girl. As expected, they found the girl, but also found out that the kidnapper was a mage that used the fear and desperation of his opponents as energy for his dark magic. Connections arose, and he turned out to be an old enemy of Erza's. In a vow to defeat her he began to attack. As a team they were now locked in a brutal battle and losing badly. They warned people at the guild, despite knowing that no one would be able to come in time. Lucy and her spirits were getting weaker, Gray was slowing down, Erza was getting careless due to fatigue, and Natsu had just been knocked unconscious.

Just as soon as she stood up, Lucy was thrown to the other side of the cave by the same supernatural force that had attacked Natsu. She groaned in pain as her body slid down the cave's cold wall.

"Oh, celestial mage, your desperation is just- _delectable._" the mage, Barek, commented.

"You'll pay for that!" Erza snarled at Barek, requipping into her speed armor. He was tiring out, but not nearly as much as the four of them were.

"Oh, Erza. The desire to kill you has been keeping me alive for this long; I will not fail!" he declared menacingly.

Erza clenched her teeth in anger. Effortlessly requipping one of her best swords, she charged at Barek with lightning speed. She managed to get a few hits in, clearly weakening him in strength and stability, but before long her own fatigue kicked in. She let out an agonizing scream as a ray from Barek's staff shot through her thigh. She fell to the ground, feeling the stab of an invisible sword in her leg.

_Erza! _Upon hearing her screams, Gray immediately got up from the ground, his attention now on Barek.

"I've waited 15 years for this day to come," Barek growled, forming a sword in his hand and holding it above Erza's head as she lifted a hand in fear, "and I've waited long enough!" He thrusted the sword downward. But, instead of seeing his enemy die in front of him, Barek was looking at...a shield of ice.

"I-imposs-" he stammered as his sword shattered upon impact. He turned around, shocked, only to be flung backward by a beam of ice. Gray was conscious, up, and fighting Barek, his teammates watching in hope.

The two men fought aggressively across the cave floor, but Gray's determination outweighed Barek's desire for revenge. Eventually, Barek's fatigue was finally starting to show. With a ferocious cry, Gray jabbed an ice sword at Barek, piercing him through his heart to his back. His body fell to ground. Astonished, Gray looked at Lucy and Natsu, who were both crying and smiling, triumph on their faces. He looked closer to him at Erza, who smiled at him with tears in her eyes as well. He ran to his fallen girlfriend, wanting to wipe all her tears away-

It happened too fast.

Gray was running towards Erza, when her smile twisted into pure horror. "GRAY, MOVE!" she screamed as she started to move towards him herself.

_Move? From what?_ Gray thought as everything suddenly happened in slow motion: Lucy and Natsu were running towards him and shouting, Erza now so close to him he could see the dirt that covered her face, the blood at the corner of her mouth, and the tears in her eyes.

_Why are you crying?_

She was closer now, so close that he could just reach out and touch her cheek. His attention was suddenly drawn to what was behind him. He saw Barek running towards him. Confused, he looked at the ground where the Barek's body had fallen, but the body was gone. Panic took over his body as he realized what happened. _A doppelganger?! _

A blaze of purple energy burst from Barek's staff into Gray's chest. His panic was replaced with an overwhelming, searing pain. He looked down and saw the purple energy go straight through his body.

_I…? _He looked helplessly back at Erza, who was screaming. Everything went back to real time and he fell to his knees. He tried to feel for the blade, but nothing was there now, except for the feeling of being stabbed. He almost fell forward, but Erza caught him, laying him in her lap. The light behind her head illuminated her face perfectly. _You're so beautiful…_

Natsu jumped up from his place on the ground, a new fiery rage taking over his body. "_WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!_" he shouted at Barek.

"What he would have done to me. He's been stabbed with a nulos beam; he can feel the pain, but he can't see it. Your friend's a goner." Barek explained darkly.

Furious, Natsu began fighting again, enormous fireballs attacking Barek from every angle.

"YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT! YOU'LL PAY FOR HURTING MY BEST FRIEND!" Natsu raged. With a mighty push of his arms, an enormous explosion of fire shot from Natsu's hands and surrounded Barek. The red flames lit up the entire cave. Natsu screamed in fury, the fire getting hotter and bigger. When at last he stopped, and the fire stopped as well, but there was no sign of Barek.

"WHERE'D HE GO?! WHERE THE FUCK DID HE—" Natsu shouted when he heard a faint cough behind him. He spun around and saw Gray on the ground, head in Erza's lap. Lucy was kneeling over him as well. Fear filled his body as he ran to his best friend's side.

"Gray! Gray, you'll pull through man! This isn't anything Porlyusica can't fix!" Natsu frantically assured the ice mage, but the dimming in Gray's eyes was hard to ignore. Erza gently brushed the loose dirt off of Gray's face, her tears falling.

"Guys…don't cry. I could never have imagined myself being on a team with people as great as you three." he muttered, smiling.

He turned to Lucy. "I'm so proud of who you are and who you've become. You're my sister, and I...I can't say how glad I am that you joined the guild and our lives. Keep Natsu on a leash for me, okay?"

Lucy cried harder, despite the smile on her face. "Gray, please, don't talk like that! You'll be—" She stopped when she felt Gray's hand on hers.

"Don't make this something it's not. Please." he implored. Lucy gently kissed his hand as more tears fell down her face.

He turned his head to Natsu. "You were the best friend I e-ever had. The best brother." Natsu grabbed his hand tightly. "I always wondered who would break our 560-560 tie, but I knew it was going to be me." Gray added with a stifled laugh.

"You can fight me when this is over, Ice Princess."

"You're on, Flame Brain."

Lastly, he turned to Erza. "You're so fucking beautiful." he laughed, and she smiled and shook her head, trying to keep her tears under control. "No, really, all that dirt is what makes all the heads turn, you know that?" Gray continued, earning a choked laugh from his girlfriend. "I love you, so fucking much." he smiled.

Erza shook her head. "Don't talk, you idiot. Save it for when we get home; you'll be back with us soon."

"I don't know what I'd do without you. I was lost and without a family, but with you…I was given another shot." Gray grinned. He shifted, reaching into his pocket. "I wanted to do this when the mission was over, but seeing as how it is now…"

"Shut up! Shut the hell up! You're coming home, you'll have plenty of time to do this later!" Erza cried, all her sadness, happiness, and anger pooling together and forming tears that streamed down her face as Gray pulled out a ring sculpted from ice from his pocket. Lucy gasped, tears streaming down her face and Natsu's as well.

"I'm not on one knee, but...Erza, will you marry me?" Gray proposed.

"Yes, fucking _yes_ I will, you stupid idiot!" she cried happily, as Gray put it on her finger; it was a perfect fit. She leaned over and kissed him, ignoring the fact that his lips were trembling.

She pulled away, looking at the ring. "It's beautiful…" she breathed. Gray smiled in appreciation.

"You remember that promise we made?" he asked. Erza nodded. It had been a year since that day. She never imagined talking about it again...at least not for a long time. "Don't break it, okay?"

"I wouldn't ever break it." She cupped a hand around his cheek. "I love you so much."

"I love you too." he smiled weakly. Suddenly, the searing pain came back, this time stronger than ever. He lifted his head, grimacing as he coughed up the blood had been trying to suppress. Leaning back, he looked past Erza, the light behind her getting brighter.

"I love you all so much. I-I wouldn't be who I am t-today without y-you all." he stammered, turning to all of them.

"We love you, Gray." Lucy grinned.

"We'll see you soon." Natsu added.

"I love you so, so much." Erza whispered, still holding his shaking hand.

The light was blinding now; he could just barely make out the faces of his friends kneeling over him. "You guys...were the best...f…" he stammered, before taking a final sigh.

Realization struck Erza as Gray's hand went limp in hers. Her smile turned into dread. "Gray?" she asked uneasily. She brought his face to hers, grabbing his cheek. "Gray?" she repeated. Lucy turned to Natsu, both of them crying. "No, no, no, NO! GRAY! We're leaving now, _don't fucking die on me now_! Gray! GRAY!" she cried, gripping her husband's lifeless body. She cradled him in her arms, crying on his cold chest.

"Erza-" Lucy tried to say, but Natsu put a hand on her arm and shook his head. The two sat away from Erza, leaving her alone with Gray.

They all cried, but Erza's sobs were the loudest, echoing throughout the cave.

. . . . .

_No...no...no, it can't be...it can't be true! Erza whimpered, suddenly taken away from the cave and now in a dark void. He couldn't have...died?_

"_Oh, but it _is_ true, Mrs. Fullbuster." a familiarly sinister voice greeted._

_Erza spun around to see Barek striding towards her with a sword in his hand. She reached to her side for her sword, but panicked as soon as she saw that she had no sword and no armor._

_She looked at him dreadfully as he smiled. "You have no weapons here. This is my part of the dream."_

"_Then I'll just wake up!" Erza realized, backing away and turning from him with a triumphant smile._

"_You can...if you don't want to save Gray." _

_She froze and turned back around. "What?"_

"_I can make Gray come back."_

"_How?!"_

_He strode towards her again, and once he reached her pointed the sword at her throat."I killed him, but I also have the ability to reverse the spell. Bring him back."_

_She knew there had to be some sort of trick, but...she wanted to see Gray. She _needed _to see him. She looked at Barek distrustfully. "What do I have to do?"_

_Barek smirked in success. "Come back to the cave. Alone. Tonight."_

"_You sicken me." she spat._

"_Watch your language. I can bring him back only with your…" He lifted the sword to her cheek. Erza flinched as the blade nicked her skin, her blood forming at the cut. "...cooperation." _

"_How do I know you'll keep your promise?!" Erza shouted, but Barek had suddenly disappeared. She ran, looking for him, but was surrounded only by the complete blackness of the void. Exasperated, she fell to her knees. She needed to save Gray…_

_. . . . ._

Erza woke up with a jolt, gasping as she sat up in Lucy's bed. _Was that...was that a dream? _She lifted her hand to her cheek and felt the wet blood from the cut. She closed her eyes in dismay.

She looked around the room. It was the dead of night: Lucy was still sleeping soundly, the entire house quiet. She twiddled the ring on her finger in thought. She needed to leave...

V.v.v.V

Lucy suddenly woke up, feeling as though something horrible had happened. It was still nighttime, the only sound in the room coming from the hum of the ceiling fan. She looked up from the "bed" she had made on the floor to her normal bed, making sure Erza was there. She almost closed her eyes upon seeing the body-shaped lumps under the blanket, when something caught her eye.

Something was waving back and forth on the blanket. Curious, she stood up, only to discover that Erza wasn't in the bed. A small note had taken her place, resting on top of the blanket. She read:

_I'm bringing him back._

Fear in the back of her mind, Lucy quickly dressed, and then grabbed the note. Fingers crossed, she opened her curtains. She heaved a sigh of relief when she saw Natsu sleeping outside her window, for once in her life thankful that he had decided to do so. She grabbed his arm, shaking him awake. "Natsu. Natsu!"

He stirred out of his sleep, and jumped out of her grip. "I was leaving! I wasn't sleeping! I- " He stopped when he noticed the grave expression on her face. "What's wrong?"

"Erza's gone." she told him, and handed him the note.

After reading it, he threw it to the side. "He can't be brought back, he can't…_he_ tricked her!" he growled.

"I know. We have to find her, _now._" Lucy decided, and the two left the house.

V.v.v.V

"How do I find him?!" Erza shouted desperately, her voice echoing of the cave's walls.

"He's dead. There's no bringing him back." Barek grinned nastily.

"But you said- "

"I said anything to lure you here...and look what's happened?" he cackled, and charged at Erza, staff outstretched. The beams of dark magic reflecting off Erza's swords lit the cave with purple light as the two fought. Her feeling of helplessness was increasing with every passing minute, and in turn Barek's power over her was increasing as well. _Wait, that's it! _she realized.

She couldn't feel helpless.

She suddenly smiled, taking Barek by surprise. With each jab at her enemy she gained confidence while he lost power. Throwing one final sword his gradual fatigue finally caught up to him: the sword slashed his arm, cutting it severely. He fell to the ground, blood flowing out of his arm.

Erza looked disgustingly at the man who was now cowered on the ground in front of her. He raised his staff to her, but no magic came out. She smirked as a look of surprise formed on his face. "How-How are you doing this?! How do you not have fear in your mind?!" Barek shouted.

"Because I know I'm going to get what I want." Erza stated, every step forward causing Barek to back up, until he hit the cave's cold wall.

She took another step forward and stuck her sword to his throat. "You-you can still be with him!" Barek shouted.

"Instead of killing you now? Sorry Barek, you're not escaping again." she seethed, and was about to push the sword-

"-WAIT! Wait, there is a way! A real way!" he cried. Erza paused. "You can be with him in your own world. A dream world!" Barek continued. He stuck his hand out. A shard of a broken mirror appeared.

Erza glanced at the shard, looking into her reflection, and then back at Barek. "What is the meaning of this?" she asked, taking the mirror into her free hand.

"I-It's a piece of a nulos mirror. If you use it against yourself, you can be with the one who died from the nulos blade...forever."

"Against myself?"

"You have to kill yourself." Barek sneered.

Erza took her eyes away from her enemy, and bringing the shard up to her face she looked into it. She saw her own reflection, but something was behind her. From a shroud of mist, Gray appeared. He put a hand on her arm, bringing it down to her side. Her sword clattered to the ground, unnoticed. Gray was smiling at her, as though nothing were wrong. She wanted to be with him, she truly did…

Now free, Barek swung his staff at Erza, the wooden object striking her head. She fell to the ground in a disoriented pain, holding the place of impact. His staff was now humming with purple energy. "You're too easy to distract, Titania. Now, join your husband- !"

"EAT FIRE, BAREK!" a voice shouted from across the cave. The two turned to see Natsu running towards them, a great ball of flame erupting from his hands. The blast sent Barek flying, and threw Erza backward as well. The shard still gripped in her hand, she landed with a heavy thud on the cave floor.

The fall, mixed with the previous blow to her head, and now the strong haze of Natsu's fire was too much for her to handle. She rested her head on the ground, the mirror in her hand in front of her.

"ERZA!"

She saw Lucy running towards them, keys ready in her hand. "WE'LL GET YOU OUT OF HERE!" she assured, but Erza's sight was already fading. She looked into the mirror. Gray was behind her again, and placed a reassuring hand on her back. A tear rolled down her face. _I want to be with you… _she thought, her eyes slowly closing. _I wish I was dead._

_Dead like you._

V.v.v.V

_...where am I?_

Erza moved her body, her eyes slowly fluttering open. She was in a bed, surrounded by white sheets, white walls, and the faint smell of isopropane.

_Why am I in the hospital?_

"But sir, we need to see her, we need to tell her- " a voice spoke from outside the door. _Lucy..?_

"I'm sorry, Miss Heartfilia, but she needs to recover from her head injures. It's a wonder you got her here in time, but she needs to rest!"

"She's been out for three days!" another voice protested. _Natsu?_

"She is _not _to be disturbed!"

Pain pulsed through Erza's head. She had put the pieces together: after Gray's death he had visited her in spirit, only showing himself to her. It wasn't until a week after the mission, when they visited Gray's grave, that Natsu and Lucy first noticed her visions. Her mind was then refreshed of the events from three nights ago: defeating Barek, Natsu and Lucy coming to her rescue, the mirror…

The mirror.

Her eyes darted to her bedside table. Amongst several arrangements of flowers, the mirror was still there. She looked into it, but nothing appeared. No shroud of mist, no Gray. She rolled on her side in defeat, the cruel truth of Gray's death flooded her once more. _I avenged him, but...I don't have anything to live for anymore._

_I want to die._

Gripping the mirror in her hand, she slowly bent her legs and arms. She could definitely walk, the only painful thing being the pulsating pains in her head. Slowly, she got out of the bed, requipping into her normal white top and blue skirt. Mirror in hand, she cautiously walked out the door, seeing the staircase that led to the hospital's exit.

She knew what she had to do.

V.v.v.V

She had successfully made it back to her house. Ignoring everything she made her way upstairs to the bathroom. She sat on the floor, bursting into tears as, once again, the recent events dawned upon her. She had gone crazy, she truly had...but she was happy.

She was happy because Gray was there, in some way.

She looked at the shard in her hand, seeing only her reflection. She couldn't be with Gray in the dream world, but now..._she could die and be with him._

She heard frantic shouting downstairs. Someone was in the house, slamming doors and running about, but she ignored it. Tears streamed down her cheeks. She didn't care anymore. There was no release from Gray when he was gone and she lived on.

"ERZA?! Erza, goddammit where are you?!" The voice yelled. It was Lucy, her shouts getting closer. Erza smiled as she cried. She knew it was a horrible decision, but she also knew it was the only solution. Sobbing, she shifted over to the bathtub. _Lucy, Natsu, Gray...I love you all so much._

The need to hear Gray, to feel him, to _be _with him, ached her entire body. She cried looking into her reflection. She put her forearm on the rim of the tub, wrist facing her. Tears clouding her vision, she brought the shard to her wrist. She positioned the sharp corner, about to pierce her pale skin. _I just want to DIE-_

The door burst open. "Erza!" Lucy shouted. She was crying, the frantic look in her eyes growing when she saw the shard in Erza's hand. "NO!" she screamed, knocking the shard out of Erza's shaky grip.

As the shard clattered to the tub, Erza turned to Lucy with tear-filled eyes. "I want to DIE, Lucy! I WANT TO DIE!" she cried in frustration.

"You can't!" Lucy shouted back in a sadness even Erza didn't recognize. She could see the desperation on the blonde's face. Trembling, Lucy brought her hand forward. She was holding a folded piece of paper. Erza looked at her, confused, but Lucy remained silent.

The redhead slowly took the paper from her hand. She opened it, staring at two grainy, black and white pictures. A wave of shock passed through her body, suddenly understanding what was in her hands. She looked at Lucy in disbelief. The blonde simply nodded, smiling as she cried. Erza held the paper to her chest, wailing as her best friend held her. The shard lay on the ground, forgotten.

V.v.-Six Years Later-.v.V

Erza stood in the middle of the sanctuary. Sunlight from the open window lit the small room with a soft yellow warmth. In front of her was a large altar decorated with various objects and framed pictures. Tall, unlit candles rested on shelves that around the walls of the room. "This is his room…" she explained, "Gray's room." She turned around, facing the other person with her. "You can leave, if you'd like." she told him.

Instead of running out the door, the small boy ran to the altar, to one of the framed pictures of Gray. He held the picture close and whispered something to it, talking with it briefly before setting it back on the altar.

"What did you say?" Erza asked jokingly, smiling as she knelt to meet the small boy's eyes.

"I told him to come." the boy, Steele, replied.

"Come where?" she asked curiously.

"In my dream. He said he'll teach me how to use my power!" Steele revealed enthusiastically. He raised his hand, and a ball of ice shot out, colliding with the wall. Steele fell backward and gave Erza a sheepish grin.

"Then you better pay attention!" Erza laughed, ruffling the boy's navy locks.

"I told him something else too."

"And what was that?"

"I told him he doesn't have to worry about you anymore, because I'm here now." Steele's identical brown eyes looked into her own. "I'll take care of you, Mommy."

Erza's eyes widened, taken aback by her son's words. She laughed appreciatively, tears falling from her eyes. Steele's brows furrowed as he frowned, "Why are you sad?"

Erza shook her head with a smile. "You make me so happy, sweetie." she answered, and pulled her son close to her. The six year old was too young to understand her emotions, or any details about his father's death, but he hugged her tightly nonetheless. "I love you very much, Steele." Erza told him.

"Mo-om!" Steele groaned, "Do you have to say that _now_? It's not even bedtime!" Erza laughed as her son grumbled an "I love you too" back to her.

A loud knock interrupted them. They turned to the open door and saw Natsu, Lucy, and Ava standing outside.

"The guild master is needed outside." Natsu reported, smiling.

"What happened now?" Erza asked, standing up.

"Draven and Xander are fighting...again." he revealed, embarrassed.

"Fighting? They're only five, almost six...what happened?"

"Xander said something about Draven not being manly enough, and of course Draven had to prove him wrong, but he can't control his power- "

"-Basically there's a giant metal bar through one of the walls." Lucy interrupted.

"Luce!" Natsu blurted, as the blonde waved off her husband's attempt to keep Erza from the truth.

"A giant metal bar?!" Erza exclaimed.

"A giant metal bar...that sounds cool!" Steele remarked, earning a stern glare from Erza.

"Steele, you are not to play with them right now. Not until I've had a little talk with them…" Erza added.

"But Mom! I wanna play with them!" Steele pouted, but Erza shook her head.

Ava stepped forward energetically, the five year old's pink locks bouncing as she approached Steele. "Wanna work on our powers instead?" she asked.

Steele's face lit up at her idea. He looked to Erza, who nodded in approval, "As long as Natsu goes with you." she decided.

"Wait, really?" Natsu asked with the same amount of excitement as Steele. Erza nodded again. "Alright! Let's go, guys!" Natsu cheered, and the two children followed him out the door.

"So Draven, huh?" Erza asked Lucy.

The blonde nodded. "You'd think because he reads so much he'd be just as calm as his mother, but...he takes after his father in terms of behavior."

Erza sighed. "Let's hope Lili won't cause us this many problems in two years." she responded, earning a laugh from Lucy upon mentioning the three year old girl and youngest addition to the Redfox family.

"Ready to go?" Lucy asked, beaming.

"Give me a minute." Erza answered. She turned and walked toward the altar. Among the pictures and flower vases was a piece of a broken mirror. Despite the dark time it represented, it reminded her of when she gained something else to live for. _Someone_ _else, _she thought, her gaze resting on a framed picture of Steele as a baby. She looked back at the shard, reminded of that day six years ago. Turning to a picture of her and Gray, she smiled. _I love you._ she thought.

She turned back to Lucy. "Ready." she told her, and the two walked out of the sanctuary.

Just as she was leaving, she heard a familiar voice reply, _I love you too._

_Both of you._

V.v.v.V

"_Loving you forever can't be wrong."_

V.v.v.V

* * *

.

* * *

I really hope you guys liked it. Keep an eye out for more updates! Also, in addition to adding more stories, I will be participating in Grayza Week this summer (August 18-25, I believe)! I'll put the stories for those prompts as additional chapters to this collection. Thanks for being cool :3 Don't forget to leave a review!

-PinkKoala213


	4. Her Dream Come True (And His Too)

Hi everyone! AHHHHHH I am so excited for Grayza Week, and for this story! Have you guys ever listened to a song, and then suddenly realized it fits one of your OTPs perfectly? That happened here...anyway, I hope you all enjoy, and don't forget to leave a review!

* * *

.|.

"_Gray!" Erza shouted. She ran down the wet streets of Magnolia, the pouring rain soaking her hair and her clothes, but she didn't care. She ran until she saw the ice mage under the streetlamp, shirtless as usual. _

_He turned around and smiled at her. "Erza!" he shouted back as she ran towards him. She ran into his arms, feeling her wet body on his. She saw the rain hit his smooth arms, and the droplets of water trickling down his sculpted abs._

"_Gray, I love you!" she confessed, holding her hands to his face, not caring that the rain made her makeup run. She didn't care about what she looked like, because she was perfect in his eyes._

"_Erza...I love you too!" he smiled, putting his arms around her waist. She didn't push him away, she didn't threaten him...she pulled him closer. She could feel their lips about to meet, a feeling she ached for more and more with every passing day-_

Erza woke up, sitting herself upright. _Was that..was that real?!_ she panicked. She could feel the nervous butterflies fluttering in her stomach. Her cheeks were flushed, she knew it. Her skin was damp, but not from any sort of rain. Her heart was pounding in her ears, its pace quick with built up anticipation. She flung herself back onto the soft sheets of her bed. She took a deep breath and groaned, putting her hands over her face in embarrassment.

She'd had these dreams for a while now. At first it was nothing: there'd be some sort of romantic interaction between her and Gray, but then she'd wake up and go about her real life. But lately they'd been getting worse. The dreams got realer, touchier, _truer... _

_Wait, truer? That's...that's not possible! _

They were just dreams, and usually she wouldn't mind them. But with the increased action and intensity in every one, it was getting harder and harder to ignore. More dreams about Gray meant more attraction for him in the dream world, which in turn meant more emotions when she woke up.

The dreams always left her confused, and being confused always made her angry. As a result, she took it out on the poor ice mage. Every time he spoke, moved, or practically _breathed_ she would find some way to call him out on it. She couldn't talk to him, she couldn't listen to him, she couldn't even look him in the eye. It was all justified, though. She knew exactly what he was like from her dreams, so why did she have to face him in real life?

Now that she thought about it, lately Gray had been complaining more than usual about how 'bitchy' she's been to him. For a second she felt apologetic, but as soon as it had come she shook it off. Her actions were completely valid given what he did to her!...indirectly.

She sighed, frustrated, and sat up. What she needed was a break, and a long one at that. A long, relaxing, break in a far, quiet, non-Gray environment. _Yes, that'll do. _she nodded, mentally patting herself on the back for the good idea.

But the idea of relaxing suddenly seemed wrong. What if she was so relaxed that her thoughts went to him, because she had nothing else to do? She needed something to do, or to work on…

_Wait, that's it! Work! _She paced around the room, thinking through her plan. _I'll go on a mission. I won't have to see them, I'll be far away, and I'll have something to do! _

She quickly requipped into her normal outfit and walked out the door, set on her plan.

.|.|.

Erza slumped over the wooden guild table in defeat. For some reason there weren't any single person jobs available, only group ones. She put her head in her crossed arms, trying to think of another plan, but coming up blank.

"Erza!" a voice called. She turned around from her slumped position to see Lucy striding towards her, Natsu in tow. Erza said nothing, turning her head back to the table. "What's wrong?" Lucy asked when they reached her, placing a glass of water in front of the redhead.

Erza sat up, gratefully taking a sip of water. She set the glass down and turned to Lucy. "What do you do when you have a problem, and your only solution has failed?" she asked.

"A problem? What problem would you have?" Lucy asked, she and Natsu sitting across from her.

Natsu's eyes widened fearfully. "Is this about my and Gray's fight yesterday? I swear Erza, we stopped after a minute, I promise! Cross my heart!" he blurted.

"What? What fight?" Erza asked, confused.

"Um...nothing?" he lied, laughing stiffly.

"Anyway," Erza continued, turning back to Lucy, "I've been having these dreams, where-"

"-Hey Scarlet, you wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?" a voice interrupted. Erza felt a section of her hair being lifted.

"What are you doing?!" she demanded, spinning around to Gray, a sword already requipped in her hand.

"Calm down, jeez! Your hair is stuck in your shirt, I'm getting it out for you!" he defended. Erza gave him a skeptical stare but requipped her sword back, watching him out of the corner of her eye as he pulled out the oddly placed section of hair. His hand brushed the back of her neck; she felt his cool skin against her warm one. She grimaced at the familiar feeling. Feeling her cheeks flush in embarrassment, she swatted her hand out, smacking him in the forehead. "Erza, what the hell?!" he cursed, holding his head in surprise.

"I can do it myself! I don't need your cold _hands _in my hair!" she told him irritatedly.

"I was doing you a favor-"

"I didn't ask for it!"

Gray shrugged, and sat down next to Erza anyway. "You're such a bitch. I thought your time of the month was last week." he told the redhead. Erza glared daggers at him, while Lucy looked worriedly between her two friends, praying that they wouldn't kill each other.

"Excuse me, just because you're being _irritating_ doesn't mean I'm going through my menstrual cycle." Erza retorted. Gray shrugged again, and took a sip from the glass of water that rested in front of her. She couldn't help it: she watched as his lips made contact with the same surface hers had just minutes ago. Gray caught her eye, looking at her suspiciously. Her face flushed again and she slumped back over the table, groaning in annoyance.

Lucy looked between the two, eyebrows raised. She felt her nervousness of an upcoming fight between the two increase. She turned to Natsu, looking at him in desperation. The pink haired boy nodded, and leaned forward. "Hey what about we take a mission?" he proposed, and ran to the job board.

"That sounds like a great idea!" Lucy agreed. Erza was still slumped over, and Gray was still staring at her suspiciously.

Natsu ran back, slamming a flyer down on the table. "This one's for a team of four, in a town called Dragoste. We have to cure the mayor of the town for 30,000 Jewel!" he advertised.

"Whoa, that's good. What's he sick from?" Gray asked, turning to Natsu.

"It has all the symptoms on the back, but we take this to Porlyusica and ask her to supply us with the medicine necessary." he decided. "It's an easy task, and for 30,000 Jewel? I think we should take it." The other three looked at the flyer with newfound interest.

"That sounds...fine." Gray realized.

"That sounds very fine! That sounds great!" Lucy agreed.

"I..suppose it will be alright. And we'll be there only for a brief time.." Erza thought it over.

"Alright, that's a yes for me! Let's go!" Natsu cheered, stuffing the flyer in his pocket.

"Yeah!" Lucy agreed, following him from the table.

Gray got up as well. "Alright!" he laughed, when he realized he was the last one to get up. He turned around and saw Erza staring at the table, brows furrowed in thought. "Erza." he called, but she remained sitting. He sighed and yanked the requip mage out of her seat, towing her to the doors of the guild.

"Gray! Put me down!" she demanded, hitting his arm.

He let go and turned to her. "Will you hurry up then?" he sneered, and walked ahead. Erza crossed her arms and grumbled something under her breath, before following him out the door.

Natsu and Lucy, ahead, turned around, seeing their other two teammates follow them. "Jeez, this is gonna be a long day." Natsu sighed, watching Gray and Erza bicker. Lucy nodded in agreement, looking at Erza. _I wonder what her problem was? _she thought curiously.

.|.|.|.

"Look, there's the sign!" Natsu shouted animatedly, pointing to the red 'Dragoste' sign in the road. The other three looked ahead at the path before them optimistically, seeing the town's open gates in the distance.

They had reached the area in good time. Before they had left they went to Porlyusica's house to pick up the remedy needed to cure the mayor. Fortunately the sickness wasn't fatal, and after three days of the medicine the mayor would be fine. They were looking forward to a smooth mission, expecting to be back home the next day.

Natsu suddenly stopped in his tracks as soon as he reached the gates. Lucy crashed into him. "Natsu, what-" she frowned, but stepped beside him and followed his stunned gaze.

"Holy-" Natsu started.

"-OOH!" Lucy squealed.

"Oh my gosh." Gray breathed in disbelief, he and Erza stopping beside them.

"Urgh…" Erza grimaced, looking away from the sight in front of her.

The town of Dragoste was what they expected of a town: small, close buildings, street shops, dirt roads. But what they didn't expect was all the pink.

Every building was colored a shade between red and pink, there was nothing else. The dirt, the wagons, even the windows themselves were some sort of fell into the same color palette. Erza scrunched up her face in distaste, her nose catching a scent of flowers and sweet candy in the air. Lucy squealed in delight as she twirled through the open gates, in her own paradise. Gray, Erza, and Natsu followed her cautiously, carefully crossing into the town.

"It's beautiful!" Lucy gushed, turning to her friends. The other three stared back at her in obvious discomfort.

"Let's just get this over with." Gray spoke, walking down the main road they were on.

"I think I'm gonna be sick…" Natsu groaned, holding his stomach.

"WE WALKED HERE!" Lucy reminded him.

Erza was still looking around cautiously, and unknowingly fell into step beside Gray. "You okay?" he asked, nudging her arm.

She looked at him alarmed, her hand instantly over the place he had made contact with. "I'm fine!" she exclaimed. Her surprised expression was met with his own: his dark blue eyes frowned in confusion. She sighed, "I mean...I just have a weird feeling about this." she explained.

"You're telling me. Do you smell that?" he asked, bringing up the scent she had noticed earlier.

Erza nodded. "We just got here, but I can't help but feel that-" She suddenly stopped, feeling a hand on her shoulder. She turned and saw a woman she didn't recognize behind her. She had blonde hair and brown eyes, but her skin was a pale pink.

"Your hair...what a beautiful shade of red!" the woman marveled, her hair in Erza's hand.

"Excu-" Erza stammered, when suddenly she was encircled by several other people, all with the same pink skin tone.

"Goodness, it's just what we've been dreaming of!" one of the men stared in awe, grabbing a section of Erza's hair as well.

"It's just the shade that would cure Master Sevgi!" another woman brought up. The other two nodded at her in agreement.

"I-" Erza began, but suddenly realized she was surrounded by more of them. She looked to her left and saw that Gray was very far away from her, pushed at the edge of the newly gathered crowd. "Gray?!" she yelled.

"Erza!" he yelled back, trying to run towards her, but there were too many people between them. She reached out to him, only to be swallowed by the crowd, drowning in the strong scent of artificial flowers and chocolate.

.|.|.|.|.

"_I feel safe with you." she whispered, her hand clasped in his. The breeze flowed through her hair, waving the colorful flowers around them. Her eyes left the red and white checkered fabric they were sitting on and met his dark blue eyes._

"_I feel the same." Gray told her. He took her hands, sitting her up to face him. _

"_You know I've always loved you." she told him, squeezing his hands. "I can't keep my feelings from you any longer."_

_He smiled. "I know." he told her, and leaned forward. Her lips barely touched his, when he started shouting. "Erza!" She stared at him, confused. "Erza! C'mon, are you okay?" he continued._

Erza opened her eyes, only to see Gray's face inches in front of her. She saw his concerned expression, his dark blue eyes, his soft lips…

She punched him, sending him backwards. "What the hell?!" he cursed, holding his cheek in pain as Natsu and Lucy flocked to Erza.

"Where am I?" the redhead asked, looking down at the pink bedsheets she was tucked in.

"The hospital, resting station...thing. You've been out for a couple of hours." Lucy explained, "You fainted."

"Fainted?!" she repeated, incredulous. "Naturally so! What were those people thinking?!" She got up from the covers, requipping a sword in her hand. "Who am I talking to?!" she demanded, walking angrily out the door.

"The mayor is right next door, but he's still recovering-" Lucy tried to stop her, but she had already knocked down the hospital door next to hers with a forceful kick.

Lucy and Natsu followed her inside, seeing the mayor in a similar pink bed. He was a stout man with balding brown hair and pink skin, wearing a red tuxedo. He looked at his intruders, awake and smiling. "Oh, they were right! Your hair is the cherry on top of the fabulous treatment you Fairy Tail members have given me!" he gushed, clasping his hands in delight upon seeing Erza.

Erza gave him a suspicious frown, sword still raised. She turned back to Natsu and Lucy. "Who is this?"

Lucy stepped next to her. "That is Master Sevgi," she introduced, "the mayor."

"He even gave us all this free food!" Natsu added, holding up a bag of assorted heart shaped candies and baked goods for Erza to see. Erza gave the mayor one more frown, before lowering her sword and requipping it back.

"Master Sevgi!" a panicked voice called. The three turned around to see the first woman that had grabbed Erza earlier at the door. She pushed past them, rushing inside. She sighed in relief, seeing that the mayor was okay. She turned to Erza. "I apologize for my previous actions, I was just...so fascinated by your hair." she explained, "My name is Cariad, I'm one of the town's nurses."

"Why did I faint?" Erza questioned, still staring at the woman suspiciously.

"Well, Ms. Scarlet, that was a peculiar incident. It's a wonder Mr. Fullbuster carried you here on time." the woman told her.

"Gray _carried_ me?!" Erza spat. She turned to Lucy for confirmation, and the blonde nodded in approval. She felt deep flush cover her cheeks. Master Sevgi raised an eyebrow at her reaction. Erza turned back to Cariad. "What did you do to me?" she accused.

The woman shook her head, "Our town has a certain scent, and while everyone reacts differently to it, you completely shut it out of your body. As a result, you fainted." Cariad explained, holding her hands out in front of her defensively.

"How was my reaction different? Natsu and Lucy are fine." Erza pointed out, gesturing to her friends.

"What scent?" Lucy interrupted.

"Yeah, I didn't smell anything." Natsu added. Erza looked at the two suspiciously.

"Are you holding something back, Erza? Master Sevgi asked. His arms were crossed in front of him, smirking. She twitched at his raised eyebrow.

"What would I be holding back?" she asked, eyes narrowed.

"Are you experiencing...strange dreams? Confusion?" he prodded. Natsu and Lucy looked worriedly between Erza and Sevgi, then at each other. _What was he talking about?_

Erza's glare faltered. _How does he know? _she panicked, but shook her head. "You have no idea what you're talking about." she denied, backing out of the room. "We're leaving this place, we're leaving your town, and most importantly we're leaving y-"

She suddenly backed up into another person. She felt a pair of hands hold her shoulders, stopping her. _Those hands…_ "Hey, what's going on?" Gray asked, keeping Erza from running into him.

Her eyes widened as she turned to Gray. "Don't do that!" she scolded, shaking his hands off.

"Careful, you still have a bump on your head-" he told her, when suddenly more people rushed into the room.

"Master Sevgi, Master Sevgi!" they all cried, rushing to the mayor's bedside. While Natsu and Lucy had safely moved out of the townspeople's way, Gray and Erza were in the middle of the stampede. Pushed by the incoming crowd, Gray fell to the ground, pushing Erza down with him.

"Quiet, quiet! Move to the side, you're hurting our guests!" Sevgi commanded, waving his arms. The townspeople cleared to the sides of the room, watching as Gray and Erza were revealed on the floor.

Erza opened her eyes, and looked up. While she had fallen on her side, Gray had fallen on top of her..._completely on top of her. _"You good?" he asked, concerned. She heard Natsu cackling. She was about to respond when she suddenly realized their compromising position, and just how many people were in the room...staring at them.

She looked at Sevgi, who gave her a knowing wink. Her face flushed again, but the mayor simply laughed, enjoying her reaction. She angrily pushed Gray off of her, the boy landing with a heavy thud on the pink floor. "Erza-" he called, but she had already marched up to Sevgi.

"What do you want?!" she demanded, slamming a hand on the red bedframe.

Sevgi cleared his throat. "Cariad, do you have the newt?" he asked, turning to the nurse instead, holding his hand out.

Cariad reached into her pocket, holding a small vial. Inside was a pink newt. "Here, sir." she responded, uncorking the vial and putting the small animal into his hand.

"Erza, I think we both know what's going on." Sevgi told her. Erza stared back at him warily.

"What? What's going on with Erza?" Natsu asked, he and Lucy walking toward the bed.

"I have a solution to your problem." Sevgi continued, "You would like that, wouldn't you?" He looked at Erza, then at Gray, who was now standing next to Lucy. She followed his gaze, trying not to let her embarrassment show, but her blush reddened. Again, Sevgi laughed at her reaction. "My, you are a cute one!" he giggled, then turned to the other team members. "Thank you for curing me." he told them. He suddenly crushed the bug in his hand, but when he opened it all that remained was a pink powder. "This is me returning the favor." he stated, his eyes locked on Gray. With one swift movement he threw the powder at Erza, the pink dust scattering over her face. Before she could even react her eyes fluttered closed, and she fell to the ground.

"Erza!" they all shouted, running to the fallen girl. Natsu and Lucy caught her before she fell to the ground, her body limp in their arms.

"What did you do to her?!" Gray demanded, grabbing the front of Sevgi's tux in his fist.

The man shrugged. "Like I said, you'll thank me later." Gray glared at him before angrily letting him go.

"How do we cure her?!" Natsu shouted, looking to Sevgi.

"She'll figure it out herself." Sevgi shrugged.

Gray frowned, then turned to Lucy. "Did you collect the reward?" She nodded. He turned back to Sevgi. "You'll regret this." he warned, and they turned to leave the room.

"No I won't, you silly boy." he giggled, "Ta ta!" he called, waving goodbye to the four mages.

.|.|.|.|.|.

"Someone, get Porlyusica!" Natsu shouted, rushing through the open guild doors. Everyone stared at him, but seeing Erza's unconscious state they ran over.

Natsu, Lucy, and Gray carried the requip mage to an open table, gently laying her down. "She's coming down," Cana informed, rushing over to her friends, "What happened?! Didn't you take an easy job?!"

"Yeah, but it was a weird town with weird people…" Lucy tried explaining.

"The guy we were helping knocked Erza out with some weird powder." Gray added.

A path to the table cleared as Porlyusica stepped forward. The old mage looked at Erza, her piercing eyes assessing her condition. "What happened?" she asked, turning to Gray.

"The mayor of Dragoste threw this pink powder at her. She's been unconscious since." he informed her. He watched as realization struck Porlyusica's face. "What is it? Can you save her?" Gray urged, leaning towards the mage.

"I feel that she will wake up soon, but the cure...that is up to her." she disclosed.

. . .

_Erza laughed, happily on piggybacking on Gray as he ran through the meadow. She reached a hand out, touching every colorful flower in their path. The sun shined on the couple, the blue sky radiating with happiness. She saw Gray heading toward a pool of water, but before she could shout it was too late- they emerged from the pond, soaked._

"_Gray!" she laughed, splashing water at the boy across from her._

"_I saw a pool and dove. You never know what golden opportunities will come your way." he smirked, splashing her back. She laughed, and he suddenly grabbed her arm. She stared at him with interest, watching he pulled her towards him. His white shirt was soaked: she could see his sturdy, V-shaped body, the outline of his abs…_

"_Ooh, he is a cuuuu-tay!" a voice interrupted._

_Erza whipped her head around to see...herself. She frowned, confused. "Who are you?" she asked cautiously._

"_I'm glad you asked!" her bubbly counterpart laughed. Erza looked to Gray, who suddenly disappeared. She watched as the water, the bright sun, the colorful flowers disappeared. Within the blink of an eye her meadow was replaced with a teal sky. Whispy, white clouds swirled around her. Her "reflection" skipped over, stopping in front of her._

"_Who are you?" Erza repeated, angrily staring at the other girl. She looked just like her, the same clothes, hair, and face. The only difference was the sassy hand on her hip, and her bright, bright smile. Erza glared. It was almost too bright._

"_Why, I'm you! Well, your feelings. Which, by the way, you should let out sometime, it's never healthy to keep 'em all bottled up-" She yelped and jumped backwards as Erza slashed at her with a swordless hand. "Stop that! You can't use your magic here, so don't try." she told her._

_Erza exhaled sharply and jumped at the girl, tackling her to the ground. "THAT DOESN'T MEAN YOU GET TO TACKLE ME EITHER!" she shrieked._

_A sinister grin fell on Erza's face. "I guess I can beat you up, then." she stated, raising a fist in the air._

_The girl's eyes widened in fear, and she shook her head rapidly. "No, you can't. I'm part of you, remember? If you hurt me, you'll eventually get hurt as well." she informed her. Erza narrowed her eyes, and then grumbled, standing up. The other Erza sighed in relief, and stood up as well. "You can call me Erzie, I guess." she told her, but Erza ignored her words. "So, what do you need help with?" she prodded._

"_Help? Why would I need help?" Erza hissed._

"_How would I know?__ I'm only here if I need to help solve a problem." Erzie answered, watching as a wave of understanding passed over Erza's face. "Wait, you know what your problem is." she spoke, moving towards Erza, who was shaking her head. "Yes, you do! Although I have no idea…" She suddenly remembered how she met Erza. "Ooh! Is it that boy?" she recalled._

_Erza's face reddened. "What?! Gray?! No, of course not!" she denied._

_Erzie wagged her finger at her. "Don't lie to me, you're an open book!" _

_Erza crossed her arms and frowned. "Leave. Now." _

"_What? We were just meeting each other! And besides, I haven't even started…" Erzie pouted, sitting on the ground in disappointment._

"_Started? Started what?!"_

"_Well, clearly your problem is that you like this boy," she moved her hands animatedly, "but you're too full of pride to tell him."_

"_I'm not in love with Gray."_

"_Sweetie, I saw your dream. I've seen all of them since I got here. If that wasn't love and you didn't want to rip off his shirt right then and there, then call me-"_

"_Get out. Get out, or else."_

"_Or else what?" She stood up, walking to Erza. "I can't leave unless your problem is solved. And by the looks of it: it's not. Now, unless you want me to stay forever and sleep forever, you're gonna need to wake up."_

"_Wake up? Wake up from w-" _

"_-Erza!" Gray called, his voice booming around them._

_Erza looked at Erzie in disdain. "C'mon, wake up and tell him!" she urged, pushing the girl forward._

"_Absolutely not. That isn't the problem, you're the problem!" Erza disagreed, shaking her head._

_Erzie sighed. "Fine, but you have no right to hate me for this." she warned, walking over to Erza._

"_Hate you for wha-" Erza started, when Erzie put a hand on her head. She felt a force jolt through her head, making her collapse to the ground, but she felt no pain._

"_I'll see you soon!" Erzie giggled, and everything went black._

"Erza!" Gray called once more, and the redhead's eyes suddenly opened. He heaved a sigh of relief as everyone around them cheered. "We thought you would be out for another hour or so." he told her. He looked at Erza, who was staring back at him with a strangely…happy smile. "Erza?" he asked, waving a hand in front of her, "You oka-"

"Gray!" Erza yelped, leaning forward and tackling the ice mage into a hug. Of course, unbeknownst to the other guild members, it wasn't the real Erza but rather Erzie that was doing the actions.

He stumbled backward upon impact. "Whoa, Erz, you're back." he laughed, hugging the redhead back.

"It's nice to see you, Erza." another voice spoke. Erzie looked up, seeing another blue haired guy now in front of her, red tattoos lining one side of his face.

"Oh. Hello." she greeted, unsure of his identity. He was definitely attractive, but she had never seen him in Erza's dreams, so was he even important? Ignoring him she turned back to Gray, smiling brightly at the ice mage. "I'm so happy to see you!" she spoke enthusiastically.

"Erza!" Erzie turned around and saw Natsu and Lucy smiling at her. "We were worried sick!" Lucy told her friend, squeezing her shoulder.

"Well, she was. I'm hungry!" Natsu corrected, casually putting an arm around Lucy. Erzie smiled at them, knowing exactly why they were unaffected by Dragoste's scent.

"I am too. Why don't we get some food?" Gray proposed, putting a hand on the back of his head.

"What a wonderful idea, Gray!" Erzie agreed, jumping out of the bed and wrapping her arms around Gray's toned one.

Gray looked at her almost suspiciously, but he smiled instead. "Alright, Scarlet's excited." he observed suspiciously, but allowed her to hold his arm. They left the guild, Natsu and Lucy behind them.

The other two frowned, staring after their friends. "Does that seem suspicious to you?" Lucy asked, turning to Natsu.

"Yeah..." Natsu responded. "Erza's gonna eat all the food before me!" he shouted, running to their two friends. Lucy mentally slapped herself. She looked at Erza, watching as she chatted animatedly with the two boys, her arm still hooked around Gray's. _What was going on?_

.|.|.|.|.|.|.

They were eating at a local sushi bar. Or, at least, trying to. Instead of eating the dishes they had ordered, they were staring at Erza.

The redhead still all smiles, but currently popping roll after roll of varied seaweed and rice combinations into her open mouth, surprisingly maintaining her lady-like manners.

"Erza…" Gray spoke, "You okay?"

Erzie turned to him and laughed. "Oh Gray, you're so funny!" she giggled, putting her hand on his arm. He gave her another weird look, but ended up smiling himself. He locked eyes with Lucy, who was sitting across the table from him. The blonde raised her eyebrow in suspicion at the redhead, but Gray shook his head at her. Maybe Erza was finally turning a new leaf, and if she was, he would welcome it with open arms. Come to think of it, he'd accept anything but her constant yelling at him.

"Yeah, Erza! Sushi was meant to be devoured!" Natsu cheered, barbarically shoving a plate of sushi into his mouth, demanding another from the waiter.

Erzie laughed, realizing what good friends Erza had. Remembering the real Erza, she turned to Gray. "So, how are things with that girl?" she asked, her eyes wide with curiosity. Of course, she had no idea if there was even a girl in the picture, but she had to make sure for Erza's sake.

"G-girl?" Gray stammered. Erzie blinked at him, her eyes still big. He laughed, turning to his drink. "If you're talking about Juvia you don't have to worry anymore; it's not a thing and it will never be." he informed her, stirring his drink.

"Well, of course I'd be worried! You're far too attractive for that girl anyway." Erzie agreed, sipping her drink.

The other three stared at her, shocked. Even Natsu stopped eating and tilted his head, studying the redhead. "Erza, are you okay?" Lucy asked cautiously.

"Of course! Why wouldn't I be?" Erzie replied cheerfully.

"Well, you just said that, and with Jellal…" Lucy's voice trailed off. Erzie looked at her, and nodded to herself, knowing that her friend was probably referring to the blue haired boy from earlier.

"Jellal?" Erzie repeated, this time looking at Gray, watching the vein in his arm clench at the boy's name. "Jellal's nothing." she scoffed, stirring her drink.

"_Really?_" the three of them asked, shocked again.

She shrugged. "Really. He's not my type." she told them. "_Jellal?! Why are you mentioning Jellal?!" _a voice yelled. Erzie's eyes widened.

Erza was awake.

She knew she didn't have a lot of time. She was then interrupted, seeing a roll of sushi held out to her. She turned to Gray, who was staring at her expectantly, holding the roll between his two fingers. "_What are you doing?! Put that down, don't turn to him!" Erza scolded. _"Open up!" he told her, grinning. Erzie stared at him in surprise, as did Natsu and Lucy, before she slowly opened her mouth. "_Don't don't don't don't-" _Erzie smirked as she wrapped her pink lips around his fingers, eating the roll. Gray smirked back at her and reached for his drink again. He put his free arm around Erzie as he sipped from the glass.

Natsu and Lucy stared disbelievingly at the scene that had been played before them. Did Gray and Erza finally like each other? Was everyone finally on the same page?! Lucy watched as Erzie nestled into his side. "Erza, you're really fine? Even after all that?" the blonde asked.

Erzie smiled. "Yes, Lucy, I'm-"

_She was suddenly pulled back into the teal walled and cloud swirled world of Erza's mind. She landed on her back with a heavy thud. "What the hell?! I'm doing you a favor!" she shouted, looking up at the requip mage._

"_You knocked me out, you pretended to be me, AND YOU LICKED GRAY'S FREAKING FINGERS!" Erza shouted angrily._

"_I'm just acting out your dreams." Erzie shrugged. _

_Erza blushed hotly. "I'm taking over." she stated._

"_You're gonna tell him how you feel?!" Erzie asked hopefully._

"_No, of course not! I'm fixing your mess!"_

"_Erza! C'mon, you have to…" she started, but Erza had left. She sighed, already feeling sorry for the ice mage._

Erza smiled as she felt herself back in control, but grunted, realizing how much she, or _Erzie_, had already eaten.

"Erza? You good?" Natsu asked, leaning forward.

"Yes, I'm fine!" she told him, smacking his face away from hers.

"Erza!" Gray frowned, pulling her back.

Erza turned to him, scowling. "Get your arm off." she commanded. Confused, Gray removed his arm from her shoulder. She got up from the table and walked away, leaving the restaurant.

Natsu was the first one to stand. "Erza! You didn't even pay, dammit!" he shouted.

"What the fuck was that about? Did I do something?" Gray asked, looking after the redhead in annoyance. Lucy stared after her as well. Something was not right.

.|.|.|.|.|.|.|.

"_So, when are you leaving again? Erza asked, as Erzie skipped to her. It had been an entire week with her exuberant counterpart, and a long one at that._

_Erzie shrugged. "I told you, I'm only leaving when your problem's been solved."_

"_Well, that's okay. I don't have any problems, so…" Erza sat down across from her. "I'll wait you out on it."_

"_It's not a waiting game. Just tell Gray you like him."_

"_Why are you so bent on Gray? I'm practically with Jellal."_

"_Jellal? That weird, blue haired guy?" Erzie asked. She shuddered in disapproval. "He's a strange lookin' one. Besides, I haven't seen him in a single one of your dreams."_

"_So? I'm probably in__ love with him anyway. I'll gladly tell him how I feel!" _

_Erzie rolled her eyes. "That's not how it works-"_

"_You know what, Erzie? This is my body, this is my brain, and this is me, so I'll decide what's working and what's not!"_

"_Fine, suit yourself." Erzie shrugged. Erza smiled as she disappeared, knowing exactly what to do to get rid of that girl._

"Erza!"

Erza turned around, seeing Gray running towards her. Her eyes narrowed in annoyance as she remembered the events of the past week: in addition to furthering herself from Jellal, Erzie had also slowly succeeded in generating some sort of thing with Gray. While the ice mage kept his moves to strictly touching, it was now a normal thing for them. But that was Erzie. Erza, on the other hand, wanted none of it. She shook off Gray's hand as soon as it touched her shoulder. Gray stared after her, disappointed, but ran beside her anyway.

"You were standing in the middle of the road, I got worried. You're alright?" he asked, concerned.

"I'm fine." Erza stated coldly, looking forward as she walked.

"Y'know, Erza, I've been thinking." he told her, looking at her.

Erza felt a light blush pink her cheeks. She felt the nerves in her stomach again, getting a strange vibe from Gray's statement. She kept her eyes forward, refusing to meet his gaze. "Thinking? That's a first."

Gray rolled his eyes, but chuckled lightly anyway. "I want to know you better." he told her.

"You know me well enough. Do I need to remind you we spent our entire childhood together?"

He internally sighed. "Okay, that was a dumb thing to say." he admitted. Erza continued to ignore him. He gently wrapped his hand around hers, stopping her in her tracks. "You know what I mean." he told her. She stopped, staring at him. He expected to feel her hand slap his cheek, her fist punch the top of his head, her boot in his stomach. But she just stared at him. "Erza?" he asked, unsure.

_He had grabbed her hand, but she didn't care. Why didn't she care?_

"_He loves you! He freaking loves you, you stubborn raisin!" Erzie squealed, giddily smacking Erza in the arm._

"_I...I want to…I need to…" Erza breathed, staring into Gray's dark blue eyes._

"_Do it!" Erzie urged._

_Erza's lips curved into a smile. Erzie looked at her hopefully- until Erza shook her head. "I like Jellal, not Gray." she stated, and left. Erzie stared after her, her raised brow twitching in annoyance. Why couldn't she see what was right in front of her?!_

"Gray, you know I can't do that." she told him, finally looking at him.

"What? Why not?" Gray asked, confused, walking after her.

"I like Jellal. Simple as that."

He scoffed. "No, you do not. Not with the way you've been acting lately." "_He's a smart one!" Erzie piped up._

"That wasn't _me, _Gray! I like Jellal, and that's final-"

"-What do you mean that wasn't you?! We talk everyday, you don-"

"-Good afternoon, Erza. Gray." The two turned to see none other than Jellal Fernandes in front of them.

Erza yanked her hand out of Gray's and smiled sweetly at the blue haired boy. "Hi, Jellal." she greeted happily. Gray crossed his arms, looking to the side as a grumbled something to himself. "_Ugh, this loser again? By the way, your smile is the FAKEST THING I'VE SEEN."_ She ignored Erzie, continuing to smile at him.

"I was passing through town, when I stumbled upon a new restaurant." he told them, running a hand through his blue hair.

"He _stumbled _upon it?" Gray muttered, trying his best not to scoff in front of the other boy. "_Why does he talk like that? It's annoying."_

"Considering the fact that I'd like to get to know you better, I was wondering if you'd like to join me there tonight." he asked Erza. Her eyes widened in surprise. She'd imagined this situation happening, but definitely not this soon. She smiled brightly.

"You're kidding me!" Gray gritted through his clenched teeth, throwing his arms up and turning away from them. "_TRUE! DON'T YOU DARE SAY YES!" Erzie added._

Erza chuckled. "Jellal, I'd-" She stopped herself, suddenly looking at the ground.

"_What are you doing?!" Erza shouted, thrown to the ground by Erzie._

"_I'm taking over!" Erzie shouted back, and raised a hand in Erza's direction. Erza suddenly felt very faint as she fell to the floor gently, eyes closed._

"_God, you're the stubbornest person I know!" she tsked, and left._

"You'd…?" Jellal continued.

"I'd…" Erzie cleared her throat, and looked him right in the eye. "I would _not _like that."

Gray spun back around, both the boys now looking at her with confused expressions.

"You wouldn't?" Jellal repeated, the uncertainty in his voice clear.

"No, I wouldn't. I'm sure you're a nice boy, but I don't see you like that anymore." Erzie told him.

"Oh. Well, I suppose I could just ask Ultear, then." Jellal decided.

"Yes! Ask him! I mean her! Yes, not me, no sir!" Erzie approved.

Jellal chuckled. "Thank you anyway, Erza." he told her, putting a firm hand on her shoulder. She smiled politely at him, and with that he walked past the two of them, continuing along his way.

She started walking, but stopped, when she realized Gray wasn't following her. She turned around and saw the ice mage still gaping at her. "What, aren't you coming?" she asked.

"You...you just...you turned down Jellal…" he stammered.

She shrugged, turning back around. "I don't see why it's hard to believe."

"Because you're in love with him! Everyone's known that, it's basic common knowledge." Gray stated, jogging to her.

"I don't like him, Gray. You heard me."

"I can't believe that. What made you change your mind all of a sudden?"

"Let's just say...he's not my type anymore. Ignore everything I said before."

"All of it? From the day he joined this guild?"

"Gray, I know what I'm looking for." She stopped him, this time wrapping her hand around his. "I like someone else." They stared at each other, Gray in confusion and Erzie in sincerity.

He looked away from her, seeing that they were now in front of the guild. He looked down at their hands, and slowly pulled his out of hers. She frowned at him. "Aren't we going inside?" she asked chirpily.

"I'll meet you in there, I just...I have to go home and grab something…"

"Grab what?"

"Grab a...a shirt! I need a new shirt! Yes!" he told her.

She giggled at him, and stepped into the guild. "Okay, I guess. I'll see you later then?" she asked.

He nodded eagerly. "Yes, later OKAY BYE!" he chattered, and sprinted down the road.

Erzie tilted her head as she watched him go. "I wonder what that was about?" she thought out loud, before smirking to herself. "Damn, Gray's got _cheeks_!"

.|.|.|.|.|.|.|.|.

Gray pounded on the wooden door. "I'm coming, I'm coming!" he heard from the inside. He waited on the doorstep, anxiously jogging in place.

The door opened. "Gray, what's up?" Lucy greeted. Her eyes widened when she saw his anxious state. "Use the bathroom upstairs!" she blurted, yanking him inside.

"What? No, I don't need to pee, I need your help!" he told her.

She frowned, seeing his sudden desperate expression. "Yeah, sit down." she told him, nodding toward a seat in the living room. She sat in the couch across from him, ready for what he had to say.

. . .

Gray was pacing in front of her, the blonde listening intently. "She said she knew what she was looking for, or something. And then she grabbed me-" Lucy yelped as Gray suddenly dropped to his knees and grabbed her hands. "-And told me she liked someone else!" he explained. "What does that even _mean_?!"

"Uhm, Gray..?" Lucy squeaked. Gray shook his head and muttered an apology, letting go of her hands and sitting back on the couch. Lucy cleared her throat. "Well, obviously, she likes you."

"Me?! She likes _me?!_" he gasped.

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Stop that, you know she does. We all know."

"But she's always liked Jellal!" he protested.

"Why are you fighting it? Yes, she probably did, but her rejecting him was the last straw in showing that really, she doesn't like him anymore. You and I know Erza, if she actually liked him she would be dating him by now." she pointed out.

"Well...we _have _been getting along really well lately…" he realized.

"Yeah, her behavior's been really different since we got back from Dragoste…" Lucy frowned, but shook her head. "I think you should go for it."

"Go for it?"

"Yeah. Ask her out, take her somewhere nice tomorrow."

"Yeah...I could...I could take her out!" he decided. He stood up, smiling brightly. "I'm gonna ask her out right now!"

Lucy nodded. "Yeah, do it!" she cheered.

"Thanks, Lucy!" Gray thanked, before leaving the apartment.

Lucy closed the door after him, lips flattened in thought. _He's right, Erza's been acting differently…_

.|.|.|.|.|.|.|.|.|.

The next day came. Gray walked into the guild, an air of confidence about him. He walked to their table, eyes on his target. He took a seat right next to Erza, who arched an eyebrow at him. "What's going on with you?" she asked.

"I have a surprise for you." he told her. Natsu and Lucy looked between the two in anticipation.

"And what's that?" Erza asked.

"Come to my house this afternoon." She scrunched her nose at him, and he rolled his eyes. "No, we're not going to my room. Seriously, it's a surprise." He looked at her, making dark blue puppy eyes at her. "Please?"

Erza, taken aback by his sudden change in expression, felt her breath catch. "_He's so cute! He's so cute, he's so cute, he's so cute!" Erzie squealed, _and for once, Erza agreed with her. "Uh, yeah. Sure." she accepted, blushing.

"Great. You won't regret it." he smiled. He gave her back a light pat, before leaving the guild.

"What was that about?" Natsu asked, mouth full of food.

"Erza! You're going on a date! With _Gray!_" Lucy squealed.

Erza looked at the guild doors. She felt the urge to break the table they were sitting on, or beat someone up. But why did she feel excited too?

.|.|.|.|.|.|.|.|.|.|.

"_Ooh, girl, you look fine!" Erzie complimented. _Erza ignored her, finishing her makeup with a final sweep of powder. "Would you stop that?" she muttered, talking to the other girl in her head.

"_But it's true! That dress is so cute, you know that?" _ Erza looked at the navy blue dress, patterned with small, white flowers. The straps fell off her shoulders, exposing her soft skin. Her hair was pinned so that it was half up and half down. She smiled at her reflection in the mirror. "Of course I knew that. Why else wear it?" she answered.

"_You guys are gonna be adorable! I can't wait to see his face when you tell him how you feel!" _Erzie squealed again, causing Erza to frown in annoyance. "I'm not telling him I like him. And this isn't a date, I'm just doing something nice for him so we end on a good note. _"A good note for what?" "_For when I ask Jellal out again, duh."

_Erzie groaned. "You're still on that? Why won't you tell Gray?!"_

"Because I don't like him." Erza stated, closing the door of her apartment, "I really don't."

. . .

"Gray, tell me where we're going or I'll make you as blind as I am...without the blindfold." Erza threatened, walking hesitantly. Aside from feeling grass around her feet and a soft breeze blowing her hair, she was completely unaware of her surroundings.

"Relax, we're almost there. It's worth the blindfold, trust me." he told her. She frowned, but thankful the blindfold covered up her cheekbones and hid her blush. She felt Gray's hand leave her shoulder as he stopped her. "Okay, you can take it off." he instructed. Erza took off the blindfold and opened her eyes slowly, squinting in the bright sunlight. Her eyes adjusted, and she gasped.

She was standing in the meadow from her dreams, but it was...real. She looked around her, every tall grass, every cloud, every flower: it was all the same. She spun around and saw Gray holding a picnic basket in one arm. "Not too shabby, huh?" he laughed, running his hand through his navy locks.

"Gray, this...this is...beautiful." Erza breathed. "Where are we?"

"It's off one of the trails. We have a little bit left to go. There's a really nice spot by the pond." he told her, and they walked down the trail. They eventually reached a clearing in the tall grass, the pond next to them. Erza held the basket as she watched Gray lay down the checkered blanket, familiar with the red and white squares. She could see his muscles tense through his white v-neck as he flapped the cloth straight. He was the same old Gray, with his messy dark hair, his black jeans, his necklace...

_Erza backed up. It was still him. It was Gray, the boy she'd known her whole life. "What's wrong?" Erzie asked, walking towards a stunned Erza. She remained silent. Shrugging, Erzie left, leaving Erza alone to her thoughts._

He took a seat, smiling at her. Breaking out of her stupor Erzie returned his smile and sat across from him, setting the basket down between them.

They had been talking for a while, when Gray set his drink down. "Erza, can I say something?" Erzie nodded energetically, watching him expectantly. "I think you've known this, but…" He looked at her. "I like you. A lot." She smiled, and looked down at the blanket.

"_This isn't happening! This is not happening!" Erza shouted. _

"_It is, you cutie patootie!" Erzie gushed. "C'mon, now's your chance, tell him you like him too!" _

"_I DON'T LIKE HIM!" Erza cried. Erzie frowned darkly at her sudden outburst. "I don't like him, I don't like him, I don't like him!" Erza continued, turning away from her and wrapping her arms around herself._

"_What's wrong with you?! You have a perfect boy that loves you right in front of you, he's been in front of you this whole time! WHY WON'T YOU SEE THAT?!" Erzie shrieked, giving Erza's shoulder a push._

_Erza ignored her action. "It's Gray, I...I can't like him!" _

"_Why not?"_

"_I'VE KNOWN HIM FOREVER, I CAN'T LIKE HIM!"_

_Erzie shook her head. "Are you stupid? I've seen your dreams, I've heard your thoughts, I've felt all your butterflies and your blushes! YOU'RE IN LOVE WITH HIM!"_

"_I'm not, I'm not!" Erza denied, shaking her head. "You can't make me tell him I love him!" _

"_But you have to! Don't you want to find that happiness you've been longing for? The one you've been dreaming of?!"_

"_I DON'T LOVE GRAY! I DON'T LOVE HIM!"_

_Erzie sighed sadly, and crossed her arms. "Why don't you tell him yourself? You already said it a million times." _

_WHY CAN'T YOU JUST LEAVE?!" Erza shrieked, turning to her. She frowned: Erzie was nowhere to be found. She looked around her, but the chamber of her mind suddenly changed. She was back in the meadow, staring at Gray. He looked angry, confused, but most of all...disappointed. She saw the sadness in his eyes. Why was he sad…?_

She looked down at her hands, the picnic cloth bunched forcefully in her fists. She was breathing heavily and felt an angry hotness on her face. "I knew you felt that way." he muttered.

Her anger dissipated, realizing what had just happened. "Gray-" she began.

"Dammit Erza, you can tell me to leave, but don't yell at me. Not like that." he glared. Erza watched worriedly as he chucked his drink to the ground. The bottle landed on the other side of the blanket, its contents spilling into the fabric.

"Gray, I didn't mean it, I-"

"Are we still talking about you? Well, while we are, don't you ever play with my feelings again." She looked at him helplessly, trying to form some sort of expression on her face that would tell him to stop, to listen to her, but he was too angry. He scoffed, "Hell, I knew it was too good to be true. I knew there was something weird with the way you hugged me when you woke up that day, but I didn't want to believe it. I thought that finally, after all these years, you had realized how I cared for you, more than just a teammate."

"Gray, please, stop…" She clasped her hand around his, hoping to feel his warm skin, but he shook her off.

"No, Erza, you stop. I'm not an experiment for your uncertain feelings." She heard him chuckle darkly. "I can't believe I fell for it."

"Gray, I can explain, if you'd give me a chance-"

"That's the thing, Erza. I can't give you any more chances." he glared, and got up.

"Gray, stop! Gray!" Erza shouted after him, but he ignored her. She watched him, eventually losing him in the tall grass. She brought her knees to her chest, squeezing her eyes shut. "What do I do? He hates me..." she murmured. Gray's harsh words echoed through her head. She felt hot tears form at her eyelashes. She waited for Erzie's response, and felt another stab of pain as she was met with silence. Erzie was gone, and now Gray was too.

She sat up, blinking her cloudy tears out of her eyes. She looked around: the flowers waved around her, swaying in the wind, and the sun was still shining. Packing up the picnic basket, she bit her lip. She knew what she had to do.

.|.|.|.|.|.|.|.|.|.|.|.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Lucy called, running to the stairs. "Everyone's knocking on the door, why can't they just break in my room like Natsu?" she complained, panting down the stairs. She opened the door and smiled. "Erza!" she greeted cheerfully. Her smile suddenly faded as she saw Erza's tear streaked face, black mascara smudges under her brown eyes. She gently took her friend in and closed the door behind her, guiding her to the seat across from her couch. "What happened?" Lucy asked, sitting across from her.

Erza sighed shakily. "It all started in Dragoste…"

. . .

"And then he left. I went to his house and looked in the guild, but he wasn't there." She tearfully shook her head. "I need to find him, Lucy!"

"Wait, let me get this straight," Lucy interrupted, holding her hand up, "So the powder that Sevgi threw at you was actually a spell, that put another you inside your head?"

"Another me, made entirely of my bottled up feelings for Gray."

"And you both switched spots controlling your body."

"For the past three weeks."

"And Gray told you he liked you?!"

Erza nodded, her tears returning. "I don't know what to do."

"Wait, so you had all those dreams about Gray?"

"I've had them for a while, way before the mission. I just never acted upon them."

"_Were they wet dreams?!_" Lucy asked, gripping her couch pillow in excitement.

"Well, I did get wet in them, but…" She frowned, understanding Lucy's reference. "No, not like that. Stop it."

Lucy squealed anyway. "I can't believe it...I mean, I can. I knew you were acting differently since we got back, but this...this is some sort of romantic comedy miracle."

"Miracle?"

"Let's be real Erza, you and Gray have had these mutual feelings toward each other for like...ever, but you were both too stubborn to do anything about it. Now, when the chance finally came for you to act on them, you turned it down."

"So what do I do? Gray hates me."

"As he should! But you can make it right. And we both know how you're gonna do that." she told her, winking playfully.

"But what if he rejects me?"

"Well, you'd kind of deserve it, honestly. But even if he does, at least he knows. Although I have a feeling it'll turn out just the way you want it to…"

"So...I tell him I like him?"

"Yes. Tell him everything."

"But how do I find him?"

Lucy pursed her lips in thought. They had a plan, they just needed a place. "Is there anywhere you didn't check? Anywhere you forgot?"

She watched as Erza smiled, remembering something. "I know where he is!" she realized, standing up. "I'm gonna do it!"

"You got it, Erza!" Lucy laughed, following her to the door.

Erza reached out, slamming the blonde haired girl to her chest. "Thank you, Lucy." she spoke, hugging her tightly

"Don't- mention it!" she squeaked, face squished against Erza's shoulder in her tight grip. The redhead gave her a hopeful smile before running off. Lucy crossed her arms and laughed to herself. "Sevgi was right, they'll thank him later…" she grinned, and shut the door.

.|.|.|.|.|.|.|.|.|.|.|.|.

Erza breathed a sigh of relief as she saw Gray's sitting figure hunched forward at the riverbank. She took a deep breath and stepped towards him cautiously. "Gray?" she spoke cautiously, now just behind him.

"I'm not dealing with you anymore. Like I said, I'm done." he told her, glaring at her figure out of the corner of his eye.

"Gray, please, listen to me. I need to tell you something." She sat down next to him, but he moved away.

"What, is this the tearful goodbye to follow that god awful shouting from earlier?"

"Gray, you didn't deserve any of that, and I-"

"You're right, I didn't deserve it. Y'know, everyone knows what they deserve. But you make a cruel game out of it, huh?"

"Gray…"

"I'm done with this, I'm done with you-"

"I LOVE YOU, SHUT UP!"

Gray stared at her. She was shouting again, but there was something different about this time. He could hear her frustration, her sadness, her desperation...He watched as she hugged her knees, resting her crying face on her arms.

"I don't know how else to tell you," she murmured.

He looked at her hopefully, but shook his head. "Prove it."

"Prove it? How?"

"Explain yourself."

Erza sighed. "I had dreams about you. They were getting realer and realer, but I ignored them because they were just dreams," she began, "But it all started in Dragoste. The powder Sevgi gave me didn't just knock me out, it was a spell that put another me inside my head, made of all my pent up feelings for you." Gray stared at her, confused. She continued, "We've been switching places the past three weeks. She was inside my head to tell me to do something about my feelings and finally tell you how I felt." She closed her eyes and sighed. "But I was so scared of what it would do to us, and our image to our comrades...and I couldn't do it. I made excuses, I pushed you away, I refused to acknowledge my feelings. But I never wanted it to get this bad."

She shook her head, letting her knees go as she sat up. "But that's not important. I hurt you, and I knew it. So, I needed to tell you. And I know that it doesn't make up for anything I put you through before, but I...I just had to say it."

He looked across the still water. "This is something from a dream." he muttered.

"Yes, Gray. From mine." She took his hand. He stared at her, eyes wide. She took a deep breath. "I really am in love with you, Gray." It was getting easier to say.

He sighed heavily. "I love you too, Erza. But how can I-"

He was interrupted by Erza's loud cough. He waited for it to pass but it continued into a harsh coughing fit. He jumped to her side, hand already smacking her back. "Are you okay?!" he asked as she continued coughing, each violent bark shaking her body, getting worse and worse. He gave her back one last smack and she retched, a pink object flying out of her mouth. She and Gray stared in distaste at the pink newt that had suddenly appeared on the ground. The newt turned to them, eyes narrowed.

"IT'S ABOUT FREAKIN' TIME! NEVER, HAVE I _EVER _GONE INSIDE SOMEONE SO _STUBBORN_!" the tiny animal shrieked. The couple continued staring, not sure whether to laugh or run away. "Anyway, my work here is finally done. Erza, it was better than average while it lasted." the newt said, winking at the redhead before disappearing in front of them. They stared at the now-empty spot on the grass where the animal had been, the only thing left being flecks of pink powder.

He gave her a strange look, still comprehending what had just happened. "But- so that- Sevgi made it- so you- another Erza- that-" he stammered, pointing between her and where the newt was. Erza nodded, laughing at his disbelief.

Gray fell backward, staring up at the sky. "This is not the day I imagined having." he spoke, chuckling to himself.

"Gray, I'm sorry, and I completely understand if you want some space, or if you'd rather be alone, and believe me, I respect every-" Erza apologized, when she was suddenly yanked by her dress strap. She fell forward, only to land on top of Gray. She smiled, her insides warming as she finally felt his cool lips on hers.

They pulled away. "Let's do this again. This time the right way, okay?" he asked her. She smiled at him and nodded. He looked at his hand, his fingers still clasped around her strap. "Oh, this won't do." he laughed, opening his fingers to reveal the now-broken strap.

She laughed, tucking the strap into her dress as she sat up. "I guess this dress wasn't as nice as I thought it was."

"No, I still think it looks great." Gray complimented, sitting up as well. "But, we need to talk about something important." She faced him, his sudden change of tone catching her by surprise. "...So you dreamt about me?"

Erza rolled her eyes. "Gray, you're the dumbest person I know." she told him.

He leaned forward, "No, tell me more about this. Was I…wet?"

"Stop it!" she laughed, slapping his arm.

"Right, sorry, I'm being rude. We can reenact it." he told her.

"What-" Before Erza could realize what was happening, Gray had grabbed her and threw her into the river. He laughed when she came up for air, her entire body soaked. "Gray!" she exclaimed while the ice mage laughed at her.

"Looks like you're not-" he started, when Erza jumped out of the water and threw him in as well. He resurfaced, frowning. "This was supposed to be one sided." he grumbled.

"I guess you'll have to return my feelings now, huh?" Erza joked, wading towards him and bringing her lips to his once more.

Somewhere in the distance, a certain stout, pink skinned man squealed with delight.

* * *

I hope you all enjoyed! Apologies about the character inaccuracies, specifically with Jellal: I haven't watched the anime at all, so I'm just going off my skewed perception of him. I have this idea that he has really good manners, and is always prim and proper in the Fairy Tail world but anyway, enough of that.

Back to Grayza week, I am BEYOND excited to be participating this summer! As it turns out, however, I will be in the middle of travelling during that week. So, while the official dates are August 18th - 25th, I hope you all can bear with me, as mine may be late/early due to possible travelling complications. Hopefully things go smoothly! I hope you're all having great summers. Leave a review if you enjoyed! You guys are the best :3

~PinkKoala213


	5. First Mission

What? Grayza week is over? Shoot, I completely forgot all about it...

Just kidding, I would never forget Grayza week. Okay, so let me explain myself: I went on vacation for a couple weeks, thinking I would have readily available wifi, so I brought my laptop. I stayed, however, in the rural part of the country I was in, which in short meant many brown-outs, lots of bugs, and of course, no wifi. But I had brought my laptop, so fortunately I was still able to write for all the prompts! Now that I'm home I'll be uploading two chapters at a time for the next four days, so do check back often. So, without further ado, this is the first chapter of my week-late Grayza 2015 Collection. I hope you guys enjoy, and please leave a review if you did :)

* * *

A soft breeze floated through the dark room, the curtains waving lazily in response. Cool night air wafted in, the warm smell of sweet sweat and damp skin that had taken over the bedroom circulating about. Everything was calm, the atmosphere in the room drastically changed from what it had been a mere fifteen minutes before.

Gray breathed deeply, taking in the fresh air. He rolled to his side, facing the woman beside him. Her pale skin gleamed in the moonlight, her body still shiny with sweat. The red hair around her face was still matted to her temples. He watched as the breeze reached her, the ends of her red strands waving in the light. He watched her, the serenity that had taken over her sleeping face . He sighed contently. These were the nights he lived for: the nights of peace, quiet, and making love to the woman he loved.

He had seen her sleep countless times before, but back then he never thought he'd be with her like this. He extended a hand to her ivory skin, his thumb tracing curious circles on the smooth surface of her shoulder. He relaxed, feeling the warmth emitted from her. They had been through everything together: their own childhood, tragic pasts, their own heartbreak and confusion. He had risked life and limb to provide another happiness for her, and she accepted it.

He closed his eyes, and opened them again. It had been five years, but it always took him by surprise. She was here, and she was with him.

His hands swirled down her arms to her hand, her dainty fingers lax. He took hold of her ring finger, smiling at his own contribution: an impressive diamond adorned her finger, glinting brightly in the moonlight. It had been five years. His hands traced her body, feeling her curves over the thin, white sheets. His curiosity stirred her senses. He was down to the outside of her thighs when her eyes fluttered open.

"How long was I out for?" she asked, her soft voice reflecting her drowsiness.

"Not too long." Gray assured her, curling a hair behind her ear.

She smiled at him. "What are you thinking of?" she asked, her chocolate eyes staring innocently into his own.

"Just about how lucky you got." Gray joked, resting his hand on her waist.

She playfully slapped his bare chest. "Yeah, I got lucky." she scoffed as Gray pulled her into a loving embrace.

"What do you say we get out of here? Sneak out in the dead of night, and be back by morning? Just like the good ol' days." he proposed, holding her against him.

He felt her face form a smile against his chest. "You know we can't do that."

"You said that last time too."

"The last time we did that was five years ago, Gray."

"And look how far we've come!" he remarked. Erza laughed softly, contracting her arms and snuggling into his dewy skin. He instinctively tightened his embrace, cradling his wife in his arms. "Besides, we can always get Natsu and Lucy to cover for us."

"Have you forgotten what happened last time?"

"Of course I haven't. But it's different today: we don't have a mission tomorrow morning, so we have nothing to worry about." His arms drifted down, his hands smoothing the sheets over her slim stomach and the curve of her hips. "What if I told you there was strawberry cheesecake involved?"

"You're lying." Erza looked up to him with a smile, trying to find the lie in his eyes.

"It's in the pink box on the kitchen table." he murmured, slowly inching his face toward hers.

"You drive a hard bargain." she purred, moving to climb on top of him. His arms naturally found her sides, gently guiding her hips on top of his, a different warmth radiating between them.

This was more than they had ever hoped for. They'd become so busy between missions and the guild that this time in itself was getting harder and harder to find. They'd already done it, but to do it twice in one night? The second feat was always impossible, their efforts to relive some of the best times of their life failing whenever they tried. But tonight was different. It was going to be different. He smiled as she leaned towards him.

Her lips had barely met his when they heard faint, but familiar, shouting.

Erza sighed, almost laughing, but knew that no matter what, it was bound to happen. She looked down at her husband, who had an aggravated arm over his face. He sighed as well, although he seemed more annoyed than she was. "Dammit." he cursed, putting both of his hands over his face.

Laughing at his irritation she leaned forward and kissed his lips, before swinging her legs off his hips, sliding off the bed. "You'd better get dressed," she suggested, grabbing one of Gray's white shirts and buttoning it over her body, the garment hanging loosely off her figure.

"I know, I know." he grumbled as Erza tossed him his loose pajama pants from the closet.

He put the black material on gingerly as Erza climbed back into their bed. They went back under the covers, this time clothed, much to Gray's obvious dismay. He had just put an arm around her when the shouting that was distant before had now reached the outside of their closed door. The intruders opened the door loudly, their shouts now in the same room.

Standing in the doorway was a girl with dark blue hair. She was small, but her height still covered another person behind her. She looked just as annoyed as Gray had been earlier: her dark blue hair and red nightgown were disheveled with unrest, her hands authoritatively on her hips.

"-I want to sleep!" she announced, irritated. But she was pushed aside by the person behind her.

Her partner in crime ran in front of her, arms outstretched toward Erza's side of the bed. "Mama, Dada, Renza's being mean again!" he cried, his steps padding heavily toward them despite his small size. When he reached the bed he stopped, holding his three-year-old arms out to Erza, who lifted him up with ease. He immediately cradled into his mother's arms, fearfully holding his head of dark red hair, looking warily at the girl he had arrived with.

"Kerenza?" Erza asked, the warning in her voice clear.

The girl crossed her arms and walked toward the bed reluctantly, stopping in front of Gray. "Mommy, I didn't do anything! It was all Arian's fault!" she stated, looking at Erza and pointing an accusatory finger at her younger brother.

"You know better than to point, Kerenza." Erza told the four year old, nodding at her outstretched arm, to which the younger girl put down. "What did you do to your brother now?" Erza asked.

"Daddy!" Kerenza protested, looking to her father in vain.

Gray simply crossed his arms. "Start explaining." he told her.

She pouted, and climbed over Gray's outstretched legs to a spot between her parents on the bed. "Arian wouldn't stop coming in my room, so I went into his and threw a toy at him." she explained.

"Only one toy?" Gray asked, almost surprised.

She looked sheepishly down at the bedsheets. "Ten toys…" she corrected.

The image of Kerenza angrily throwing her stuffed animals into her brother's crib made Gray snicker. "Kinda like how you threw that table at me when I-" Gray recalled, but Erza's cautionary glare told him that now was not the time for such stories. He cleared his throat and instead turned his daughter towards him. "You shouldn't let him bother you. Besides, you have your first mission tomorrow, don't you?" he reminded her, looking at her with excitement.

But she turned away from her father. As she did so she flipped her dark blue hair, the sudden movement mixed with the moonlight catching the hidden red strands that were just like her mother's. "Kerenza, honey, what's wrong?" Erza frowned at her usually exuberant daughter's sudden change.

"I don't wanna go." she pouted.

"And why not?" Erza asked, concerned, reaching towards her daughter. But Gray reached out and stopped her hand. He gave her a nod, assuring her that he had this handled. She nodded back, sitting back down with Arian.

"Come on Kerenza, let's go." he told the younger girl, patting her back as he stood up. He turned around to Erza, "Go over the bedtime rules with him again, okay?" She nodded, and with that, he and Kerenza left the bedroom.

"Is there anything you want to do? Anything you wanna play?" Gray asked once they were outside the closed door, kneeling to meet his daughter's eyes.

She pursed her lips in thought, before turning to her father with an energetic smile. "Tag?" she proposed hopefully.

Gray's smile faltered, remembering that the 'tag' she was referring to was not the normal children's game, but rather the agility exercise Erza gave her that involved dodging various flying weapons. "What about something else?" he asked, hoping her heart wasn't too set on the game. Normally Gray would do it in a heartbeat, but seeing as it was past midnight and everyone needed sleep, it definitely wasn't the time to dodge fleets of sharp knives.

"Mmm…" Kerenza mulled, thinking of more choices, "Snow art?" she asked hopefully.

Gray nodded, ruffling her dark hair. "Snow art it is." he agreed, and followed an eager Kerenza to her room.

She grabbed a plastic box, setting it on the ground. She ran to her closet and returned holding several plastic tools, including a small pink shovel and a mini green bucket, in her arms. She sat on the floor in front of the box, crouched on her knees in excitement. Gray stood beside her and held his arms over the box, the container filling with soft snow. Kerenza stared in awe between Gray, the snow emitting from his hands, and the gradually filling box. Once filled, he put his hands down and took a seat across from his daughter. She approached the snow giddily, her gloved hands eager to create whatever was in her mind. He let her get comfortable for a while, before bringing up the issue at hand.

"So you're excited about this mission, huh?" Gray asked, watching his daughter carefully. She pursed her lips as she continued playing with her snow.

"I'm scared, Daddy." she confessed.

He frowned and leaned towards her. "What are you scared of?"

She shrugged. "I'm scared it won't be fun."

Gray sighed internally, thankful that that was her currently her only fear about missions. "Missions are always fun, especially when you have friends with you." he told her, tracing shapes into the box of snow with his finger.

"But what if the others don't like me?" Kerenza asked innocently.

Gray shook his head. "What if I told you everyone was just as scared of that as you are?" he asked her. She looked up from her creation skeptically. "You're all about the same age, and all excited about the mission. You'll make a lot of new friends." he continued, his heart warming as Kerenza's expression changed into a small smile.

"I get it, Daddy. And I have Mia too. Me and her are gonna have lots of fun." she dreamt, looking up from her creation at Gray excitedly.

"She and I." Gray corrected.

"She and I, sorry Daddy." she apologized. She continued working on her sculpture, before she turned to Gray again. "What was your first mission, Daddy?" she asked curiously.

"My first mission?" he repeated, met with Kerenza's delighted nods. "Well, I was about your age. Natsu and I had to stea- er, buy a bottle of gin for Cana."

"Grampy Makarov made you do that? Buy a bottle?" she asked, surprise in her eyes.

"No, Makarov didn't assign that to us. Cana made us do it herself, that lazy prick. Back then she was the one who kept us from fighting, so we were always trying ways to get her to leave us alone by doing favors for her. That way she'd be our friend and not care. We were barely out the guild before your mother stopped us."

"Mommy stopped you?"

"Yeah. And she beat us up, as well. That was around the time when your mother had first joined the guild."

"Awe, Mommy beat you up!" she giggled hysterically.

"Yeah, well, your mother was always upfront with us. Anyway, after beating us up she scolded for exposing Cana to such drinks, and then left us in the street. Cana was just as mad when she walked out and found us on the ground."

"Hehe, Mommy left you in the street!" Kerenza continued to giggle.

"Yeah, and it didn't stop Cana from being the alcohol-obsessed lady she is today." Gray muttered, recalling the brunette. He frowned to himself, and raised a finger at Kerenza. "Uh, stay away from that stuff." She stared back at him nonchalantly, so he continued, "Anyway, despite the fact that we got beat up, I realized that that encounter was fun. We were given a task that we had to carry out on our own, and it was our job to see it done."

"But you didn't get her the bottle, Daddy!"

"Okay, no, we didn't, but-"

"-That means that Daddy wasn't good at missions. Mommy said you were, but now I know-"

"Kerenza, focus!" Gray interrupted his daughter, snapping his fingers together for emphasis. She immediately stopped talking and stared at him with chocolate brown eyes that matched Erza's. "The important thing is that missions are responsibilities. Remember what we said about responsibilities?"

"Yes. Responsibilities are things we have to do. I have to clean up my toys, I have to train, I have to help Mommy make-"

"-Kerenza." he interrupted, and she stopped talking once more. "You're right, it's just like cleaning up your toys. It's your responsibility to carry out your mission no matter what. You're doing a special job."

"A...special job?" she repeated. Gray nodded. "I like the sound of that! It makes me excited." she approved, stomping her feet enthusiastically.

"Yes, your own special job." he smiled, and reached over to ruffle her hair. "Now, do you have any questions for me?" he asked.

She paused, and then turned to him. "What's gin?"

Gray sighed, and stood up. "We'll save that talk for when you're older." he told her, laughing at her pouting expression. "C'mon, let's go back to your mother." he decided, walking towards the door.

"Wait, Daddy, look!" she chirped. Gray turned around, to see Kerenza proudly displaying her creation. She had made five snow figures, each smiling happily. Gray smiled as she introduced each one, "This is you, Mommy, me, Ari-"

They were interrupted by a soft knock at the door. "Kerenza?" Erza spoke, leaning against the door frame.

"Mommy, look at what I made!" She proudly displayed her collection once more.

The older woman smiled. "That's beautiful, honey." she praised, walking toward her and kissing the top of her head. She turned to Gray. "It's one in the morning." she informed him softly.

Gray nodded, and walked toward Kerenza as well. "Alright little one, let's go to bed." he told her. Kerenza looked up at him, the tiredness she was supposed to feel earlier finally catching up to her. She smiled sleepily as Gray lifted her up, carrying to her bed.

"Goodnight, Kerenza." Gray whispered, as he tucked her in.

"Goodnight Daddy. Goodnight Mommy." she responded.

"Goodnight, Kerenza." Erza spoke.

They were almost out the door, when Kerenza piped up, "Daddy?"

"Yes?" Gray asked, turning around.

"When Mommy beat you up...did you fall in love with her?" she asked innocently.

The parents shared a smile as Gray put an arm around Erza's waist. "I did." he grinned.

"I think I'll beat up Kasai, then." she decided, and rolled on her side. "Goodnight."

Both Gray and Erza frowned at her mention of Natsu and Lucy's eldest son, six-year-old Kasai. "Um, Kerenza-" Gray started, when Erza shook her head. They turned off her light and stepped into the hallway, closing the door. "Why did she mention-"

Erza held her hand up. "As much as it worries you that our daughter has a crush on that blonde haired, fire breathing, troublemaking-" she stopped herself, shaking her head, "...boy, you and I both know that her sleep is more important as of right now." she reasoned.

Gray grumbled, but knew she was right. "How's Arian?" he asked, nodding toward his son's room across the hall from Kerenza.

"It went well. He understands now that bedtime means you sleep in your own bed, not going to your sister's room and throwing an impromptu sleepover." she responded.

Gray chuckled softly as they finally reached their room, closing the door behind them. They got into bed, sighing contentedly. Gray's arm was around Erza as she snuggled into his chest. He kissed her head, bringing the white sheets over their bodies. The peaceful breeze had returned to the room, the cool air calming their skin. They closed their eyes…

...when a loud wailing broke out throughout the house. Everyone groaned in unison upon hearing the cries. Erza laughed as she saw Gray's hands over his face in annoyance, exactly as it had been before. "I don't wanna talk about it, I don't wanna talk about it, shut up…" he muttered to Erza, who continued laughing.

"Mo-om!" Kerenza shouted from her room.

"Dad-dy!" Arian shouted from his.

"Kerenza called you: it's your turn." Gray spoke, pointing to Erza.

"What?! That's illogical, Arian called you too!" she defended.

"Erza, that's-"

He was interrupted by Kerenza's continuing shouts over the wails. "Mooooom! Dad!"

The two looked at each other. "If it's a bad dream, you know she only falls asleep when we sing to her." Erza pointed out.

Gray sighed, and they both got out of bed and returned to the hallway. "Arian, Kerenza, go to sleep. Esme will be asleep soon." Erza told her other children, who then stopped shouting.

They went to the room next to Kerenza's, the previous wails now subsided to soft crying. "Oh, hi baby, hi baby." Erza cooed, walking to the crib. They looked down at the newest addition to the Scarlet-Fullbuster family: baby Esme was nearly a year old. She looked up at them in wonder, her cries gone.

"What happened, baby? Just a bad dream, right?" Erza asked after feeling Esme's diaper. She ruffled her short hair, the soft strands a dark purple.

Esme sat herself up to face her parents, reaching her arm between the crib bars. "Peeeees? Peeeeeees?" she pleaded, her tiny hand squeezing the air.

Knowing what she meant Gray looked to the ground, but there wasn't a stuffed animal at his feet. As he looked around, he realized there wasn't a single stuffed animal in sight. "I'll be right back." he muttered to Erza and jogged to Arian's room.

He opened the door slowly, relieved to see that his son was sound asleep, and that all the toys were in his bed. He grabbed a plush bunny, from the crib and was about to leave, but paused. He stared at his son: he was balled up under his blanket, his breathing even. Gray smiled as he brushed the boy's dark red hair affectionately. He kissed his son's head, before closing the door and going back to Esme's room.

Esme was practically asleep when Gray came back with her beloved stuffed animal. Erza was standing over the crib, gently stroking the girl's purple hair. He put the animal beside her, her hands instantly clutching the object and pulling it close.

Erza turned to Gray. "Looks like we don't have to sing this time." she grinned, as they walked back to their room, closing Esme's door behind them.

They were back in bed, Erza snuggled into Gray's chest. Gray twirled her hair in his fingers, watching the red locks glint beautifully in the moonlight. She looked up to face him.

"I love you, you know that?" she told him.

He looked into her her chocolate brown eyes and was reminded of how much he loved this woman. He saw her, he saw Kerenza, he saw Arian, he saw baby Esme, but most of all he saw happiness, the happiness she had brought into his life. He mentally felt himself clutch his heart, the way he did when he had seen her cry, the way he did when he realized how much he truly loved her.

He leaned down and kissed her pink lips with a smile. "I love you." he responded. With that he brought the covers over them for good, their eyes closing for their well deserved sleep.


	6. Versus

Okay, Day 2. Enjoy, and leave a review!

* * *

Erza versus Juvia. It was a battle that Erza thought had been over for a long time, but had always found a way to resurface.

They had been pitted against each other for as long as she could remember, starting with their early modeling careers. While they both started from the same agency and at the same age, in the long run Erza's career was more successful, even with its short span. She had started at the age of four, her deep scarlet hair and gorgeous brown eyes turning heads as she was placed on the covers of baby magazines and infant commercials. As she grew up her red hair became unmistakable: the whole world knew exactly who she was and what she did when they saw her plastered on posters or walking down the runway. She had made a name for herself, all by herself.

When she was 18, however, she became tired. She was tired of the lights, tired of the poses, and tired of the attention. After several of fashion shows with a renowned fashion designer from Italy, she decided to put her modeling career to an abrupt end and instead focus on her studies. Because of her private tutors and copious self studying she was able to get accepted into a reputable university.

It had been four years since then, and while Erza majored in chemical engineering, Juvia's presence as a celebrity had significantly increased. While her modeling career hadn't resulted in much, she landed a role in the music video of a popular rapper. After three minutes and 41 seconds of screentime she was turning heads as well...at the end of it all, the blue haired girl ended up dating none other than successful, young, "sexiest man alive," and coincidentally her longtime actor-crush, Gray Fullbuster.

That was another important name to Erza. Her 14 years of being in the business gained her many friends, but her best one was Gray. They had grown up in the same town together, sharing the same desire for the spotlight. They both started their careers with modeling, thriving in the business. But while Erza became wary of the fame, Gray welcomed it. He had always been the charmer, the people pleaser, the star of his own show. And for that, he chose the acting path instead.

Although he chose acting and she chose modeling, they still stayed in touch. She was his best friend, and as of lately, despite his constant travelling and her constant studying, she had a better relationship with him than his "girlfriend."

The now 23-year-old Erza nervously took a sip from the glass of wine in her hand, gulping down the heavy liquid. Bright lights were flashing around her in the massive dining hall, different colors bouncing off the walls. People surrounded her; whether they were dancing or standing still, everyone was talking. The loud music and heavy base shook her entire body. She felt suffocated: it had been a while since she was in this setting. Mumbling several 'excuse me's she pushed through the crowd, eventually making her way into relatively empty hallway.

She sighed relievingly, and took a relaxed sip from her glass as she roamed the grand halls. Gray's face was plastered on the walls around her, the posters celebrating the success of his most recent movie. His charming grin met her pretty much everywhere she looked. She smiled to herself: this was his paradise. She continued through the halls, gradually nearing a room. She slowed down, hearing a heated argument coming from inside. She paused outside the door, confused as to why anyone would be arguing at such a happy event.

"Are you serious?! I was-" a boy shouted.

"We've been over this countless times, yet you still act like a child!" a girl shouted back, just as angry.

Erza rolled her eyes as she recognized the voices. It was Gray and Juvia, but more than that it was a regular occurrence. From Erza's experience with Juvia the girl was always ultra-sensitive to any form of negativity said to her, and often tended to overreact. Whenever Erza and Gray had found a rare time between their busy schedules for a surprise visit or lunch, a good chunk of time was wasted by Gray's fights with Juvia over the phone.

"Well, you've never been good with children anyway-" Gray jeered.

Juvia groaned angrily. "Just take it back!" she shouted.

Gray snorted. "It was a freaking _joke_, I'm not taking it back." he scoffed, crossing his arms.

"Whatever, _asshole_." She stomped toward the door and threw it open. Erza jumped back just in time, quickly pressing herself against the wall, but the darkness of the hallway and Juvia's rage kept her from being seen. She breathed a sigh of relief as the other girl stormed off, when she heard another sigh as well. Remembering Gray, she opened the door slowly, stepping inside the room.

"You alright?" she asked, taking a seat on the bed behind him.

Gray stared angrily at the floor, before sitting down next to her. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Honestly, that sounded better than your usual fights." Erza smirked, swirling her glass in her hand.

"Yeah, but not any less stupid." he chuckled, and took a sip from her drink. "This is supposed to be a good night. It's a celebration. But she always has something to scream at me for...it's fucking annoying." he revealed, staring back at the floor.

"I know, she's quite a handful. Or many handfuls, I guess." she laughed.

Gray laughed as well, but shook his head. "It's even worse, because we're in the same industry. It just makes me realize how much I hate this field." He paused for another sip, and continued, "She's always so insecure, and takes it out on me..." He pressed his lips together in annoyance, "I don't deserve any of that shit she puts me through."

Erza looked at him, concerned at the sincerity of his words. She cleared her throat, "But at least you're happy." she concluded for him, hoping that he would agree. But Gray was silent. She leaned towards him. "You are...happy, right?" she asked, hoping, _praying_ he would say yes. His happiness was the only thing that mattered, even if it was with Juvia.

He sighed angrily. "No, I'm not, I'm not! No matter what the press or Juvia says, I'm not. I feel like I'm shortchanging myself, and that this life isn't for me-"

"Gray, you're angry and upset, and you've had too much to drink already-"

"-I want to be with you! I want to study, to take tests, to fail, to pass!-"

Erza shook her head. "You're just saying that, Gray. You don't mean it."

But Gray just stared at her, his face reflecting a sad exhaustion that told her otherwise. "I wish I had gone with you when you left." he spoke. He placed his hand gently over hers. "Things were better when you were still here."

His dark blue eyes stared back at her in harsh truth. She felt something catch inside her throat. She wanted to tell him it wasn't too late. She wanted to tell him how much she missed him, how she wished he had pursued his studies with her instead of this _stupid_ movie life, how she wanted to be with him...but she saw the empty glass in her hands, and saw his anger, and she knew that that time wasn't now.

She held his hand. "This night is a celebration of all your hard work." she reminded him, giving him a reassuring smile, "You deserve to be the happiest person today, and no one can take that away from you."

Her heartbeat quickened as Gray suddenly held her in a tight embrace. "Thank you, Erza." he spoke. He held her out at arm's length, looking at the redhead gratefully. "After this, you wanna just...hang out?" he asked, grinning sheepishly.

She almost looked at him fearfully. She felt something rising in her chest, something that was forming a pit in her stomach. Hope. _I can't say yes, I can't say yes..._

But she saw his shy grin and was reminded of their close childhood, reminded of how much she wanted that life, that simple life, back. Her mind thought of a million ways to decline...but she found herself smiling back at him instead. _I can't, I can't, I can't..._

She rolled her eyes and laughed, "You're such a dork." But she nodded. "That'd be nice." She stood up, walking towards the door. "Now come on, I think they're waiting for you outside." she told him. He followed her, taking a step in front. He pulled her into a caring hug, before walking out the door.

She sadly watched his retreating figure, returning to sit at the bed. Her head throbbed in confusion: although he had said things she'd only heard in her dreams, she knew that everything he said was true. And as much as she wanted to believe him, to help him, to be with him as he started a new life; she couldn't ignore the sinking feeling that was growing in the back of her mind.

After a while she had left the room, hearing the loud music stop and the halls ring with the echoes of excited cheering. She made her way back to the dining hall. Gray stood on the raised platform in the front with his manager, other staff members, and of course, Juvia. His movie director was at the podium, giving a celebratory speech.

"And may this responsible, cheeky, and goddamn handsome man," he gestured to Gray, "forever be blessed with the talent he's shown us every time." The crowd laughed, and Gray stepped forward. He clapped an appreciative hand on the director's back, before stepping to the podium. He waved to the crowd, grinning. _That stupid grin..._

"Thank you all for being here tonight. I can't thank you enough for giving me the honor of your attendance." He grabbed a glass from the table behind him. "I hope you're all happy tonight." he spoke, gaze falling on Erza. She felt the familiar catch in her throat. Turning back to the crowd he raised his glass. "This one's for you guys." he grinned, and everyone cheered in response.

"Classic Gray, putting himself before everyone else. This is your night, Mr. Empathetic!" the director joked, the crowd laughing along with him. He raised his glass, and everyone followed suit. "To Gray!" he cheered, and confetti exploded into the air.

"To Gray!" the audience repeated happily. Erza raised her glass to Gray as they locked eyes, sharing grateful smiles. She walked through the room and knocked glasses with the strangers around her, finding herself laughing along with them. Her attention turned to the giddy feeling in her stomach. _Maybe this is my happiness too, _she thought,_ with Gray._

Smiling hopefully, she turned back to the dark haired boy, but the happy expression on her face crumbled. Through the multicolored flecks of paper, the loud music, and the flashing lights, she saw Gray and Juvia kissing on the podium in front of everyone. She saw the shock in his eyes: he was still holding his glass, but Juvia's hands were clasped pleadingly around his face. Erza watched happily as his eyes desperately scanned the room, instead of staring at Juvia. _He's...looking for me..._ she realized.

When Juvia finally pulled apart she stared at him, her body language reflecting an aching desperation and a yearning plea for forgiveness. Gray's attention was averted away from Erza as he stared back at Juvia, his expression confused and almost angry. But the crowd was too loud, cheering for another cinematic performance. And Gray, being the charming actor he had grown up to be, took note of their cheers. Erza watched heartbreakingly as he allowed himself to be pulled in by Juvia's hands again, grinning proudly as he kissed her, the starstruck crowd cheering in excitement.

Erza backed away. It was too much, the sight too much for her to bear. Tears clouding her vision she ran away from the crowd and made her way out the door, greeted by the nightlife of New York City. The dark night was illuminated by the streetlamps and passing cars. She angrily kicked off her black stilettos and balled up the bottom of her long, black gown in her fist, not caring that Gray had picked out and paid for her outfit himself. _"It'd mean the world to me if you came," _she recalled him saying over the phone.

_"You're really important to me." _

She tore off her earrings as she ran down the marble stairs, the long, silver ornaments falling carelessly onto the ground. She waved a shaky hand at the blurred yellow and white shape of an incoming taxi. She opened the door and hastily spat her address to the driver, before flinging herself in the back seat. She began to cry, her sadness outweighing the happy tune on the radio. After a while they finally stopped in front of a familiar flat. Despite the driver's frequent "Are you okay?"s she hurriedly and shoved a wad of cash into his hand, not caring that she had definitely paid too much. She wanted to get out. She _had_ to get out.

She eventually made her way to her apartment. She threw herself onto the welcoming couch, her makeup streaked in black trails down her ivory cheeks. She wailed, not caring about the time or the open windows. She curled up into a ball, her sobs shaking her entire body.

She knew it was too good to be true. That a life with Gray was something that only worked in her imagination. That no matter how many times he told her he was sick of this life, how many times he told her he missed her, or how many fights he had with his model girlfriend, he was too good at this lifestyle to ever truly back out.

She always thought of it as her versus Juvia, but that was too simple. It was scratching the surface, the tip of the iceberg. She finally closed her eyes, the last of her hot tears falling as she drifted into a melancholy sleep.

It was her versus Gray, and no matter what happened, she would always lose.


	7. Date

HI OKAY so I know I said I'd be uploading two a day but today's the exception because I completely changed Day 4 IT'LL BE UP IN A COUPLE HOURS OKAY ENJOY DAY 3 :3

* * *

Erza twisted the tube of mascara shut with a definitive click, setting the item down in front of her. She looked at herself in the mirror, pleased: she had spent a longer time than usual getting ready.

Normally, she would be afraid of putting on more makeup than she thought was necessary, afraid of taking too much time with her appearance, afraid of being late. But today was different. She took as much time as she wanted today.

She wanted to prove that she was conforming to her own rules.

That she wasn't the person she was eight months ago.

She took a deep breath, leaving her room. She didn't have to look at the clock to know she was late, but she didn't care anyway. She put her coat on, and walked out the door.

She soon found herself at her destination. Opening the door of the homey cafe she inhaled deeply, welcoming the scent of freshly ground coffee beans and buttery pastries. To her surprise she saw Gray standing there, already ordering.

He turned around just as she reached him, smirk on his face. "Why do you look confused? Wrong place?" he joked, raising an amused eyebrow.

She tucked a hair behind her ear. A nervous habit. "No, I'm just surprised. You got here early, I just...I didn't think you would." she explained, feeling a blush creep along her cheeks.

"Of course I did. Also, don't kill me, but I ordered for you too." She opened her mouth, about to ask if he got her order right, but he put a hand up. "Relax, it's not poisoned. And I didn't have to ask what you wanted." he told her, shrugging nonchalantly. Nonchalant. She liked that.

They made their way to a small table in the corner of the shop, right by the window. Just as she reached out to her seat, it was pulled back. She stared at Gray in surprise a second time. He was holding her chair out for her.

She looked at him, looking for the hidden grin that would soon appear when he yanked the chair from underneath her. But she found nothing: he simply stared back at her expectantly.

Expectantly. She didn't like the word. But she looked at Gray, and heard no snide remark, no sneer, no negativity. Nothing.

She slowly sat down. He sat across from her, like the gesture was a normal thing to do. And she had to agree. It wasn't fake, it wasn't forced. It was fine.

Just fine.

"What?" Gray asked, pulling her out of her thoughts.

"What?" she repeated.

"You're frowning. Literally _nothing_ has happened. Am I that bad at this?"

"I- what? I am not." she denied, scoffing. She tucked the same section of hair behind her ear. "You're fine." she added quietly.

Gray raised his eyebrows jokingly. "I guess you'll me know later, huh?" She gave him a pouting frown, but he simply smiled back at her.

The waiter came just then, placing hot cups of tea and plates of strawberry cake in front of them. She stared at the whipped frosting that adorned the cake and the rising steam from her cup, the strong lemon scent wafting towards her. The order was exactly what she would have asked for.

For the third time that day Gray surprised her, and he didn't even have to speak.

"So, how has your day been?" he asked, bobbing the dark teabag in the hot water.

She frowned. "My day?"

He almost laughed, but saw her suspicious expression. "Is that too personal a question, Erza?" She rolled her eyes, and he laughed. "How was your day?" he repeated.

"It was...fine, I guess. I spent the night at Lucy's, which was nice." She immediately stopped herself, thinking she was talking too much, that she had revealed more than she needed to. But Gray was still looking at her, his interested expression encouraging her to continue. "Um, it was fun. Except for the fact that Natsu crashed halfway through."

"Yikes. Did he break anything?"

Erza shook her head, taking a sip of tea. "Nope. He didn't go through the window this time."

Gray watched as she cautiously took a bite of her cake, almost smiling himself. He took a sip from his cup. "You'd think that after all this time he'd finally ask her out, but I guess not." he remarked.

"After all this time? More like after all those repair costs Lucy pays for his surprise visits. Have you seen those things?! They'll rival her rent if he keeps it up." She scoffed. "Honestly, there are less expensive ways to tell a girl you like her. And probably easier. Jeez." She was about to continue, when she saw Gray's shoulders shaking.

He was laughing.

She furrowed her brows skeptically. "What?"

He shook his head, still snickering. "Nothing, nothing. I just didn't think you felt so strongly about Natsu and Lucy."

She found herself smiling too. "Well, it's ten times as obnoxious from a third person perspective."

They continued talking. It wasn't long before the cups were empty and all that was left on their plates were scattered crumbs. But they continued conversing with each other, sharing stories of different lengths, topics, times...whatever came to mind. And slowly, Erza felt as though she was uncoiling, a tight spring being released ring by ring.

It had been a while since she felt like this.

Gray's attention turned to the clock. "We should probably get back to the guild. We wouldn't want Natsu and Lucy taking jobs without us."

"Are you sure?" Erza asked jokingly, recalling their earlier conversation.

Gray laughed again as they stood up, exiting the cafe. His laughter was a sound that she had heard numerous times this morning.

She liked it.

They were walking, a comfortable silence settling between them. But Erza's mind was racing with thoughts. She needed to tell him how grateful she was, how thankful she was that Gray had pulled her out of this slump that he left her in. Just as she opened her mouth, about to bring up the failures of her past relationship, Gray spoke instead.

"There's a new bar that just opened up." She turned to him. "I know how you get after drinking, but I assure you it will be fun." He looked back at her. "You should come with me. And Lucy and Natsu, of course."

She stared at him, still looking for the joke or the prank that would ruin her day. But all she found was the completely, utterly sincere expression on Gray's hopeful face.

For the first time in eight months, she didn't think of him. She forgot the all inconsistencies, the mistreatment, the carelessness. She smiled.

"I would like that."

* * *

_Gray watched as Erza moped into the guild. He was tired of seeing her like this, tired of seeing the miserable state that Jellal had left her in. _

_Their relationship had ended eight months ago, but he was still scared to make a move._

_But it had been too long. He was tired of waiting, tired of being scared._

_He watched as she sat across from him, grumpily crossing her arms over her armored chest. _

_"You okay?" he asked. He didn't know why he asked anymore. It was obvious she wasn't._

_"I'm fine." she grumbled. But he watched as her gaze fell on the coupled guild members that had taken seats at the tables around them, glaring jealously._

_By a random impulse he tightly crossed fingers under the wooden table, and spoke. "Let me take you on a date." It wasn't a question, it wasn't a command. It was a suggestion._

_"What?! Why would I say yes to that?!" she spat, her face reddening. She was clearly surprised._

_He jumped in fear at her tone, but continued anyway, "Because...I care about you." he admitted hesitantly._

_She stared back at him in silence. She was still frowning._

_"We don't have to call it a date if you don't want to. It can be lunch with a comrade, a friend- "_

_"-a pervert-"_

_He rolled his eyes, "Or a pervert," he sighed, "But really, Erza. Let me."_

_She looked at him, her frown still there. He braced himself for the harsh rejection, for smack of Erza's boot across his face. But to his surprise she shifted forward, pointing a finger at him._

_"Just this once."_


	8. Lost

Day 5, enjoy!

* * *

_"Nothing lasts forever, nothing stays the same."_

Erza and Gray were trudging down the sidewalk now in silence, the only sound between them the crunch of the fresh snow under their feet.

Gray watched her, how the yellow streetlamps made her scarlet hair shinier, the way the falling snowflakes fell perfectly in her hair, the way she nuzzled her nose further into her scarf to shield her face from the nippy air. He opened his mouth to speak, to tell her how beautiful she looked, when another voice spoke instead.

"Oh my god, are you...are you Gray Fullbuster?!" The two turned to a trio of middle school girls cross the street to them. Their iPhones were clutched in their gloved hands. Eyes wide, they stared at Gray in hopeful wonder.

Gray scratched the back of his head, embarrassed that the hood on his head had shown more of his identity than he intended. He shared a glance with Erza, debating whether to lie or not, but the redhead simply shrugged. He turned back to the girls with a sigh. "Yeah, I am." he revealed.

The girls squealed with delight, and turned to him. "We loved you when you came to Anilla! You were _amazing_!" one gushed, cheeks flushed in infatuation. Recalling the recent show at Anilla Theatre that his band played at Gray smiled, thanking them politely. Erza smiled as she pivoted a booted toe in the snow, always entertained by Gray's slightly awkward behavior with his fans.

"Can we take a picture?!" the third one pleaded, shoving her pink iPhone in Gray's face.

Gray looked to Erza for approval, who nodded. He nodded himself, turning toward the girls. He handed the phone to Erza, "She can take our picture, so you can all-"

"Oh, no, we can't let her do it!" one of the girls disapproved, shaking her head.

Slightly surprised, Gray raised a brow at her words. "Why...why not?" he asked curiously.

"Because she's Erza Scarlet, duh! We can't make Gray Fullbuster's _girlfriend_ take the picture!" the girl explained, handing her phone out to one of the other girls.

Erza raised her brow this time. While her relationship with Gray was pretty well known in their small town of Magnolia, she was surprised that these fans from a different town recognized her, moreover defended her instead of sending her death threats.

She shook her head at their comment. "Don't worry about it." she said, and flocked them around Gray. "Everyone smile!" she instructed, and tapped the camera button.

"Is it good?" the girl asked, walking towards her.

Erza looked at the picture and almost laughed at Gray's lopsided smile. "Yeah, it's good." she responded, returning the phone. She frowned in confusion, however, as all three of them stared back her with wide eyes.

"She's so pretty!" one whispered.

"Even prettier than the pictures on Instagram!" the other added.

"Kyaaa, she's so cute!" the last one squealed.

Erza blushed at their comments, still surprised. While Gray's Instagram account was always active with band stuff, he only ever occasionally posted a picture with Erza, for privacy.

Gray put an arm around her, snapping her out of her thoughts. "Thanks girls, but we've got to be going." he announced. After a series of loud thank-yous and goodbyes with varied levels of obnoxiousness, Gray and Erza continued on their way.

"I hate when that happens..." Gray grumbled, putting his hands in the pockets of his black jeans.

"I've told you countless times that that hood doesn't cover anything." Erza laughed, flicking the fabric around his head, "You'll need something a little less revealing if you want to survive the tour."

Gray smiled at her words, but his heart sank the slightest bit. He and his band had entered a contest to open for Heartbeat, a worldly popular boyband. After a month of decisions it was revealed that Gray's band was chosen as the winner. Their reward was opening for Heartbeat on their tour. He'd be gone for a year at least, and that was if they didn't get signed on to a label.

"Right. Tour." Gray grimaced, looking at the snowy ground.

Erza took his hand out of his pocket and into hers. "Hey, this is the big break you wanted, right? Besides, you'll only be gone for a year."

"Or more."

Her expression darkened. "...Or more." she repeated, the reality of Gray's opportunity slowly sinking in. "But you'll be back for Senior Prom next year, right?" she winked, "I didn't get that gold gown for nothing."

He laughed, and intertwined his fingers in hers. "Yeah, I'll be back for that...thing." Erza punched his arm, laughing into the quiet night sky.

The snow fell gently around them.

* * *

"Gray? C'mon, Gajeel and Lyon already boarded. Did you forget something?" Natsu, Gray's best friend and drummer, asked, looking at the dark haired boy in concern.

"No, I just..." Gray turned around to the waving crowd that had gathered to send off the boys, comprised of their girlfriends, parents, friends...but not Erza. "i just feel like we should wait."

"Well, we're leaving soon, so she better-"

"-GRAY!" a voice shouted. Gray spun around to see Erza pushing her way through the tightknit crowd, going to the front of the barricade. "Gray!" she shouted again, and he came running over.

"Erza!" he shouted back, frowning as he saw the tears that were falling down her face. "Stop crying, stop crying..." he murmured, dabbing her tears away with his sleeve.

"I- I didn't think it'd come so quickly-" she hiccuped, wrapping her arms tightly around his body, "I'm so proud of you, Gray!"

He could feel the tears well up behind his eyes at her words. He held her tightly, kissing the top of her scarlet hair. "I love you so much, Erza." he told her, closing his eyes.

"I love you too, Gray." Erza cried, but pulled away from him with a smile. "Tell me when you land?"

He planted a quick kiss on her lips, and nodded. "I promise."

"Gray! We gotta go!" Natsu hollered, already at the end of the plane stairs.

Gray nodded somberly and kissed Erza one last time, before turning to follow his best friend up the plane stairs. The crowd cheered in excitement as the plane doors closed, the boys now on their way to a new life.

Gray looked out the window and watched as everyone was herded back to the airport. He closed his eyes, the only thing he saw was Erza's tearstreaked face as she waved one last time to the plane. He put his head in his hand, his forehead met with the his tear-soaked sleeve. _Her tears. _He blinked a tear out of his own eye, once again reminded of the life, and the girl, he was leaving behind.

The white snowflakes fell gently from the sky, disappearing onto the black slush that covered the ground.

* * *

"Yo, Gray, you coming?" Natsu asked, clasping the last button of his dress shirt.

"We have to leave soon if we want to beat any potential fans." Lyon added, running a hand of pomade through his hair.

"Lyon, I don't think a crowd of _13-year-olds_ will be outside the club waiting for us." Gajeel scoffed, but seeing the other boy's serious expression, he gulped nervously. "Yeah, Gray, we'd better hurry." he corrected, and turned around, only to see that Gray wasn't there. "Gray?" he asked.

Exchanging a confused look with the other two boys, they left the foyer of their hotel room to Gray's room. They shared an annoyed groan as they saw the other boy in bed, still in his pajama pants.

"Gray, what the hell!" Gajeel frowned, slapping the doorframe.

"You said you were getting ready!" Lyon added, just as agitated.

Gray shifted uneasily in his blanket as he looked at them. "I don't know guys, I'm not feeling too well." he shook his head.

Natsu gave him a concerned frown. "You guys wait in the car."

"But-" Lyon protested.

"It'll take five minutes, tops." Natsu assured them. Gajeel and Lyon scowled uneasily, but grumbled their way out the door anyway. Natsu turned back to Gray, who was staring blankly at the ceiling. "Okay, what's going on?" he asked, crossing his arms expectantly.

"Nothing."

"Don't give me that shit Gray. You're my best friend, I know when something's not right with you." Gray almost laughed at him, but seeing his serious expression he held it in. "Tell me what's wrong."

Gray turned over, staring at the ground. "...I need to call her." he murmured.

"Call he? Who?" Natsu asked, and then sighed, realizing who he meant. "It's been a year, Gray."

"I need to tell her-"

"-Tell her_ what_?! She's already started her own life without you! We're not there, you're not there, and _she's not here_!"

Gray continued staring at the ground, unfazed by Natsu's words. "She needs to know that I'm not leaving her."

Natsu looked sadly at his best friend. "We all had to leave them. Lyon left Juvia, Gajeel left Levy, I left Lucy..." He paused, recalling that he had barely contacted the blond since their leave. "But you just...you gotta move on." He held out his hand hopefully. "Come with us. Meet someone new, start fresh, live the life we chose."

But Gray shook his head, turning back around. "I'm gonna call her." he spoke decisively. Natsu sighed and slowly stood up, patting Gray's shoulder sympathetically before leaving the room.

Now alone, Gray reached at the bedside table to his phone, the object's screen dark. He was going to call her.

But juts like every night, he stopped himself. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew it wasn't fair to her. It wasn't fair of him to call her, to tell her to wait for him while she tried to build a new life without him in it. Natsu was right: they had all left people behind, and now it was time for Gray to let go too.

He turned away from his phone and to the window, facing the night life of Los Angeles. The city lights that blinded him. He was reminded of all the oceans they had crossed, the planes they had flown, and they all reminded him of one thing: he was lost.

He needed to come home.

He closed his eyes and fell into a peaceful sleep, dreaming he was home again with Erza in his arms.

There wasn't any snow outside his hotel room window.

* * *

"Alright, so we're pulling up to the final show of the tour," Declan, their tour manager, announced. "We've come a long way, not just from the beginning of this tour, but from the start of your entire career."

"It feels like we were on the plane to meet with Heartbeat in Denver just yesterday..." Natsu marveled, the realizing the development of their career.

"Yeah, well who woulda thought we'd get our own tour?" Gajeel added.

"After two years." Lyon nodded.

"Two and a half." Gray corrected, staring out the window at the barren forests that surrounded him, telling him they would be in Magnolia in a matter of minutes. The sky was white and the ground was packed with hardened snow, but nothing fell from the sky.

"Right, two and a half. But I just wanted to tell you guys that I'm proud of all you've accomplished."

"Don't get cheesy on us Dec, you sap!" Natsu laughed, throwing a pillow at the manager.

Declan swatted the pillow away, laughing as well. "Alright, you guys suck. But really, it's the last show. Don't hold back." Just as he finished his sentence, the bus pulled to a stop. They looked out the window, seeing the Magnolia's Perfoming Arts Theater, the very place of their first real gig. "So, head inside, and I'll meet you in the main dressing room." Declan instructed, and left their section of the bus.

Lyon looked excitedly at the rest of them. "Can you believe we're finally home?"

Gajeel shook his head. "I feel like we were just here." He picked up his guitar case from the ground. "We should get going."

They shuffled out of the bus, smiling as they saw the familiar buildings of Magnolia around them. "Do you think everyone's still here?" Natsu asked, hesitantly referring to the girls they left behind.

"I actually got a text from Juvia, she said that they're all coming to watch." Lyon revealed.

"What?! Why didn't you tell us?!" Gray spat, the other boys frowning in agreement.

"She sent it between our back-to-back interviews a couple weeks ago, it honestly slipped my mind till now." the white haired boy protested, raising his arms in defense.

"So, Lucy, Levy...they're all gonna be there?" Natsu asked cautiously, to which Lyon nodded.

"When did they say?" Gajeel demanded.

"Jeez, I don't know! She just said they were coming, I assume they're at the fan entrance now. You know how early people get here." Lyon guessed, shrugging as he shifted the guitar case strap on his shoulder.

"So I'll see Erza.." Gray spoke.

"Have you talked to her at all?" Natsu asked as they stepped inside the back entrance of the theater.

The black haired boy shook his head. "I never called." he murmured, but the other boys had moved on from that conversation, now talking about dinner plans after the show.

Gray followed them numbly as their bodyguards filed between and around them. He frowned, his thoughts completely on Erza. Was her 4.0 untouched? Did she finally get into law school? Has she...moved on? He shook his head at the last one. _I don't want to know._ he grimaced.

_She's done so much more than I have. I don't deserve her time, I don't deserve a second chance, I don't deserve her-_

He heard an excited shouting in front of him. He frowned- they were in their private dressing room, an area closed off to any fans. _But they don't sound like fans..._ He put a hand on the bodyguard's shoulder, looking ahead, when he saw each of his bandmates hugging a different girl. Confused, he pushed through the thick-shouldered barriers, until he was staring at a familiar face.

"Erza -?" he barely got out, when the redhead crashed into him, tackling him into a hug that knocked the breath out of his chest.

"Oh my god, you're really here!" she cried, clenching her fists around the backside of his white shirt.

He hugged her tightly as he kissed her forehead, smelling her strawberry shampoo, hands gripping her soft hair, holding her smaller frame...he smiled, feeling tears form at his eyes as Erza cried into his chest.

_I'm finally home._

It was snowing again.


	9. Pranks

Day 6, Pranks :) The last one will be up hopefully tonight, but definitely tomorrow! It depends on what time I get home tonight...anyway, enjoy Day 6!

* * *

"Like I said, I'm sorry about this. _Really_ sorry." Gray apologized, awkwardly standing in front of Erza.

Erza, on the other hand, was in a worse mood. The redhead had just opened the door when a bucket of lord knows _what_ had fallen on her, drenching her from head to toe in a liquid that kinda smelled like peas.

"How the _hell _did you get in here, Fullbuster." she seethed, her purse dropping to the ground with an angry thud.

Gray clenched his teeth as he forced a smile, putting his hands out defensively in front of him. "Allow me to kindly explain, sweet, _kind_ Erza."

"You'd better _hurry-_ " With a quick flick, she had picked up her purse from the ground and flung it at Gray.

Gray yelped in surprise, ducking as he dodged the heavy item. "OKAY! I was supposed to meet someone here- "

"-who the _fuck _were you supposed to meet?!"

"One of my friends-"

"-WHAT FRIENDS DO YOU HAVE- "

"Natsu! I was supposed to meet Natsu here!"

Erza stared at him in disbelief, before rolling her eyes in utter annoyance. _Lucy._

Erza's blond haired roommate was out getting groceries for them. Erza was under the impression that the girl's immature, lazy, always hungry boyfriend Natsu had accompanied her, but apparently that wasn't what Gray had heard.

The redhead glared at the dark haired boy in front of her, who happened to be Natsu's roommate.

He chuckled nervously. "We're uh, we're in the middle of a prank battle right now, so that's why- " He gestured to the mess that was on Erza, but the death glare she was giving told him she was well aware of his failed prank.

"You come into _my _apartment for _your _stupid games?!" Erza hissed, stomping her foot angrily on the tiled floor.

"You shouldn't be blaming me, you should be blaming Natsu! He didn't tell me you'd be here!"

"I freaking LIVE here!"

Gray pursed his lips, and nodded in agreement. "Okay, yeah, that's true."

"UGH!" Erza groaned, moving past Gray to the kitchen. She made her way to the sink, the other boy following her.

"So, uh, do you need help? Maybe a bath?" he asked cautiously, watching Erza vigorously pump the bottle of soap into her hands.

She glared at him, continuing to furiously scrub her hands together.

He cowered, "Okay, _not _a bath, but what about laundry? I can do that."

"How can I trust you now?!"

"We're in the same economics class, you know I'm trustworthy!"

"Yeah, but you're not- AHH!"

Gray jumped back as she shrieked, confused, but paled as he realized what had happened.

Erza was staring at her hands in horror, her ivory skin now turned a dark green. She spun to Gray, mouth twisted in a terrifying rage. She stormed past him, pushing him out of her way. He fell against the kitchen counter, yelping in pain, but Erza didn't care.

"Erza! Where are you going?!" he shouted, and saw she made her way to the other bathroom.

"Don't follow me, I'm taking a shower!" she shouted back at him, slamming the door shut between them. He heard her immediately turn the shower on.

Gray's face somehow got paler. "No, don't- "

"WHAT THE _FUCK?!" _

He slapped a hand over his face. He was dead.

Looking around him he saw that one of the bedrooms, probably Lucy's, was open. He dashed inside, grabbing an untouched pink towel that had been draped over her desk chair. He jumped back to the bathroom just as Erza opened the door. He held in a snort: while Erza's hands were green, the skin that she had put in the shower was red. The bottom half of her calves, her feet, some spots on her arm, all a shade of crimson that rivaled her hair color. She glared daggers, swords, _machine guns _at Gray. She was still in her soaked clothes, the water from her hair dripping yellow drop by yellow drop to the floor.

Gray held out the towel to her. "I swear I didn't touch this one."

Erza grimaced between the bright magenta and Gray's face, but grabbed the towel and wrapped it around herself anyway. "I freaking _hate _you, Gray." she hissed, sitting down on the black couch in the living room.

Facing his fears Gray took a seat next to her. "I can make it up to you. I'll fix your shower, pay for new soap, clean up the foyer, the smell...can I do that for you?"

Erza slit her eyes at him. "Doing favors for me won't make me hate you any less."

"I'll buy your lunch for a week?"

She raised her brows. Dining was expensive at Fairy Tail University, and that could certainly go a long way. "And?" she pressed.

"And? What do you mean, 'and?'" Gray scoffed, "Lunch is freakin expensive, I'm not- " He saw Erza glare at him again. He wasn't getting out of this without a fight...or using a lot of money.

"3 dinners."

"And?"

"Drinks."

"_And?"_

"...Breakfast?"

Erza scoffed at his guess. "I want an apology, Gray! You need to admit that this shit is stupid, and you and Natsu will _never_ involve me in this ever again!"

"Okay, okay, jeez..." he grumbled. He turned to her, back straight and eyes apologetic. "I'm sorry, Erza Scarlet, for my irresponsible, idiotic, and completely immature shenanigans. Because you experienced my juvenile tomfoolery, in return, I shall pay for your lunch and dinner-"

"- and drinks-"

"I was getting to that," Gray muttered, "_And, _drinks, for the next week. I nor my comrades will ever, _ever_ engage you in such childish antics. And should this ever repeat, you have the right to...beat us up." He added the last part bitterly, knowing Erza would gladly take that offer up any day.

To his relief, she smiled, pleased. "That's more like it." she nodded, and stood up. "I'm getting a snack, would you like something?"

Gray smiled back at her. "I would, actually. I saw those kettle chips in the cabinet."

He heard Erza open the kitchen cabinet, grabbing a loudly crinkling bag. She tossed the snack to him. "Do you want some cake? I bought some just last night, it's still good." she offered, opening the fridge.

"Yeah, I'd- " He suddenly froze. "Um, cake? In the pink box?"

She stuck her head out of the fridge, looking at him. "Yeah, how'd you know?"

"Um, no reason." He hastily sat up, zipping his jacket up. "I actually have a meeting, I've got to go." he announced. Erza gave him a strange stare as he hurriedly made his way to the front door. _Don't look inside don't look inside don't look inside- _

_"_OH MY GOD!"

Gray winced, shoving his shoes on, not caring that they were untied. Tripping over loose laces was the least of his problems right now.

"WHAT THE FU-_ IS THIS RAW?!" _Erza shrieked angrily. He almost laughed, knowing that the prank would have been _beautiful_ if Natsu had opened it, but alas, his friend hadn't. Gray fucked with Erza's strawberry cake, and now he was going to die.

_"_GRAY FULLBUSTER, DON'T YOU_ DARE _MOVE!_"_

Gray's hand had already turned the brass knob, smiling in relief as he saw the apartment hallway in front of him. He was free! _Runrunrunrun-_

He paled as he felt a hand clutch his shoulder and yank him back inside. He blacked out before he hit the ground.

* * *

"Yeah, I heard their chicken is really good." Natsu added as he and Lucy made their way down the hall to the blonde's apartment door.

"Ooh, I'm always down for chicken!" Lucy nodded, grabbing her key ring with her grocery-bag-free hand. "You wanna stay for dinner? I think Erza was going to Levy's tonight." She turned the key, the lock clicking open in response.

"Sure! Let's make curry, I've been- "

Both their jaws dropped as soon as they opened the apartment door. The bag of groceries fell to the ground, forgotten.

The first thing they noticed was the smell, the strange stench of boiled peas strong in the air. The next thing was the ground, and how _wet _it was- they thought it was water, but if it was water, why was it yellow?

Natsu gulped, recognizing the damage. "Luce, let's leave, now- "

But Lucy had already stepped inside, cautiously. "Erza? Erza, are you in here- EEK!"

Hearing her scream Natsu ran to where she was, but became just as frightened.

Erza was in the living room, sitting on top of a bruised, black-eyed, _unconscious_ Gray, the boy sprawled on the floor. His hands and feet were bound with pink scarves. Although he was unconscious, he had a dazed smile was on his face. Erza grinned evilly as she crossed her legs.

"Natsu. So nice of you to join us."


	10. Snow Day

Alright, Day 7! I hope you guys enjoyed all these oneshots. I LOVE Grayza Week, and I'm so glad I did it because I really can't get enough of these two. I'll definitely do Grayza Week in the future (hopefully not a week late next time). Enjoy, and do leave a review if you did! And keep an eye out for more oneshots I'll soon be adding to this collection. You guys are the best!

Without further ado, here's Snow Day. :)

* * *

A loud laughter sounded from behind her. "What- what the hell is _that_?!" Gray asked, pointing a shaky gloved hand at the sight in front of him.

Erza scowled as she turned to him. "A snowman." Gray doubled over, clutching his stomach as he laughed uproariously. She scowled harder. "His name is Franklin."

"-_Franklin?!"_ Gray spat, continuing to laugh.

Erza slapped the boy's arm, upset. "Gray, I made him for you!"

Gray nodded, waving the air in front of his face. "Right, right, right. And you did a great job." he nodded, his laughs subsiding as he patted Erza's shoulder. "Now, Franklin, was it?"

She nodded proudly, chest puffed in pride. "Yes. Franklin." She turned to him, her expression suddenly self-conscious. "How'd I do?"

He took a step back, taking her work in one big frame. She waited in anticipation, heart racing to hear how well she had done- until he started to snicker again. "Gray!" she whined, lazily slapping him on the shoulder. She could have smacked him to the ground, or punched him to pieces, but she was too tired.

It was another snow-heavy day in Magnolia: the "snowiest," according to Mira. While everyone, townspeople and guild members alike, flocked to the streets to play in the fallen flakes, Erza took the opportunity of asking Gray to help her with her snow-creation skills. Being an ice mage he seemed to be an expert in that field. So they had set up a 'training session' in the space next to the guild doors outside. But it had been one hour, thirty minutes, and nine snowmen later, and Gray was still laughing at whatever _abomination_ she had managed to create.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it's just..." Gray smiled, forcing his mouth shut. "It looks like it's going to possess me, or something."

"What? Absolutely not!" Erza disapproved, taking a step back next to him. They stared at "Franklin," at his lopsided coal smile, his inverted carrot nose, and his uneven stick arms.

"It looks like a fucking snow demon, that's what it is." he nodded, finding the words to describe the small creation.

"Not true!" Erza objected, walking to the snowman. She knelt next to it, facing Gray as she wrapped her coated arms around it. "He has a sweet smile and kind eyes."

He snorted. "Erza, it looks like a baby from a snowman family...gone _horribly_ wrong." He put an encouraging arm on her shoulder. "It's creepy. Sorry."

She scowled, standing up. "Oh, yeah? Well what did _you _make?" She challenged, jabbing a finger into Gray's chest.

He looked at her cautiously. "Are you sure you want to see it?"

She scoffed. "What, like I need permission? I just need proof that you're as good as you say you are, so-"

"Every time I show you what I made you get mad, and try to top me- "

"-And I think I'm pretty good, but _you_, on the other hand, -"

"-This is like, the tenth time we've done this- "

"-You think it's fair if I show my things happily but it's _not_\- "

"-You always want to be the best at everything- "

"-It's shameful that you're not as openly creative as I am- "

"And we end up with a _demon snow baby- "_

"And it's insulting that you're too scared to show me!"

Gray slapped a hand over his face and sighed. "Alright, fine. Turn around if you want to see it so badly." he told her.

Erza spun around, chest puffed in victory: but her proud smirk crumbled as she saw Gray's creation. She followed each pointed ear, each sculpted eye, each precisely drawn paw, to the curved tail and the happy smile. She turned to Gray in amazement, her anger from earlier forgotten. "Is that..._Happy_?" she breathed.

He nodded, smiling. "I'm glad you recognized it! I thought his smile was a little off, but I figured he'd probably smile like that anyway, that creepy cat-"

He watched Erza fall to her knees, staring at the snow covered ground. Gray bent down to her in alarm. "Hey, what? Are you okay?" he asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.

Erza shook her head, turning to Gray. Her shoulders slumped in defeat. "What am I doing wrong? I followed all your steps, how to pack the snow..." She put her face in her hands. "I let you down _every _time- "

"Whoa whoa whoa, okay, let's not get carried away here," Gray frowned, hesitantly putting an arm around the girl. He knew she was competitive, but this... He frowned at her sunken posture. This was more than usual.

"I apologize, I'm overreacting," Erza admitted with a sigh, "But you always make the most _beautiful_ ice and snow sculptures, and I just...I wanted to see if I could too..." She looked sadly back at the ground.

Gray rubbed her shoulder encouragingly. "And you can. You want to know my big secret?"

She looked up at him with wonder-filled eyes. He almost flinched, seeing an expression different from her normal ones, which usually ranged from a bloodthirsty smile to an annoyed scowl.

"I think of things that make me happy. And in one way or another, whether in the exact qualities of the sculpture or the sculpture itself, it shows." he revealed.

"So you...think of something that makes you happy?" she repeated, looking at the sculpture of Team Natsu's energetic blue cat.

"Yeah. And that weird cat does make me happy sometimes." he admitted with a laugh.

Erza turned to him, beaming. "I think I got it." She stood up, placing a grateful hand on Gray's shoulder. "Thank you, Gray. Allow me seven minutes, tops."

Gray watched as she found a new spot on the snow, fastidiously packing the material together. Her tongue stuck out in concentration as she smoothed her hands over the snow in quick, precise motions. He almost laughed. He had known her for as long as he could remember, and in some way or another she had always found a way to impress him.

He turned away from her and looked up at the bleak sky, new snowflakes falling onto his face.

* * *

"Okay, I'm ready!" Erza announced from behind him.

"Can I turn a- HEY!" Gray suddenly yelped, feeling Erza's wet, gloved hands cover his eyes.

"I'll reveal it!" she spoke, her hands firmly over his eyes as she turned him around and nudged him forward.

"I swear to Mavis, if you lead me into a ditch, I will-"

"Is that a threat?" she asked, tone sharp.

"N-no, but I know you well enough to know that you would definitely- " Erza's gloved hands swiftly came off. Gray blinked, adjusting his eyes from the dark to the white snow. Once his eyes had adapted he was able to see the sight in front of him.

"Do you like it?" Erza asked, her tone suddenly shy again.

Gray stared at her creation, jaw dropped in awe. "I-"

"I know, I know, it's a little sloppy. The sides could be a little sharper, torso more defined," she mulled, circling her creation. "But you told me to make something that made me happy, so..." She stopped, looking at him with a pleasant smile, "I thought of you." She stepped towards him, hands clasped behind her back in hope. "So...what do you think?"

"I...I..." Gray stammered.

He really couldn't find the words.

While Erza had spoken with obvious admiration, affection, and appreciation, the work she displayed showed a different story.

He stared at his lopsided head, his hair half bald on one side and spiky on the other. He did notice his relatively V-shaped torso, but...

"Is that my six-pack?" he asked, pointing to the raggedly spaced sticks that crisscrossed over Gray's front.

"_Eight_ pack. You really don't give yourself enough credit." she corrected, nodding.

He stared at his, once again, uneven arms and lopsided smile. He was about to laugh, the sight almost too much for him, when he saw the only precise thing on the snowman: the Fairy Tail tattoo on his chest, intricately drawn with a thin stick.

He smiled to himself, standing up.

"So...do you like it?" Erza repeated.

He turned to her, wrapping his arms around her. "I really do." he told her, the appreciation clear in his voice.

"Gray, I can make that ditch appear _quickly-"_

He immediately let go, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment, his cheeks blushing like Erza's. "Right. Sorry. But really," he nodded at the work that was both messy and laughable, but above all, heartwarming snowman, "I like it a lot."

Erza smiled proudly. "Thank you. And thank you for your time today."

"Yeah, anytime." Gray responded, and nodded at the closed guild doors. "What do you say we head inside? Mira might have some hot cocoa left." he proposed.

Erza nodded. "I would like that." she approved, and the two walked into the guild, their creations out for all to see.

* * *

Gray sipped his mug of hot cocoa, the chocolately liquid warming his entire body. But he was warm from other things, too: while his snow-making session with Erza was initially a disaster, he couldn't help but feel slightly more attracted to the her. He watched as the redhead talked to Mira at the bar, getting a cup of hot cocoa from the white haired girl-

He choked on his drink. _Attracted?!_ He couldn't _possibly_ be attracted to that murderous, aggressive, _scary_ woman-

He actually spat his drink as a hand slapped his back. "I'd say it was a pretty productive day." Erza announced, taking a seat next to him with a steaming cup of hot cocoa in her hand.

"Y-yeah, we got a lot done!" Gray agreed, wiping the chocolate from his mouth.

"...Did you really mean it when you said you liked it?" Erza asked.

He almost flinched again at her shy expression. Really, he couldn't stand this flip flop in her moods today.

"Yeah. It was beautiful-"

He was cut off by a sudden loud commotion behind them. They turned around, confused as they saw looks of horror on their entering guildmates' faces.

"I don't even know what that was..." Gajeel commented, his massive body shuddering.

"I think it was possessed!" Levy remarked, shaking her head back and forth.

"Was that supposed to be a _snowman_?" Loke asked fearfully.

"I don't know, but it was definitely watching me walk in...' Droy shivered, eyebrows slanted in worry.

Gray and Erza now turned to Natsu and Lucy, who were running towards them. Well, Natsu was. Lucy was following him hesitantly, slowly walking one step at a time. Her eyes were wide with caution.

"Gray, did you see the things outside?!" he asked, reaching the ice mage's table.

"Things? What things?" Gray asked, brows furrowed.

"The demon things! They're outside!" Natsu told him, pointing toward the guild doors.

Gray paled and darted his eyes to Erza, who was watching the pink haired boy with a dark, borderline murderous glare. He exchanged worried glances with Lucy, who had now joined them. He turned back to his friend. "Um, Natsu, do you wanna try this hot chocolate? It's really good-"

"I think one was supposed to be you! I thought so as soon as I saw the tattoo, but then I saw the rest of it..." He erupted into an cackling laughter. "Let's just say I've never appreciated your hair more than I do right now."

Gray shook his head. "Natsu, it's really good, you should really, _really_ try one-"

"I think one was a demon baby snowman, but there was also a dead squid, and a demented snail..." He clutched his stomach, still laughing. "Really Gray, you outdid yourself on the snow creations this time. It's almost like you forgot how to make anything look _remotely_ pleasing to the eye!" he laughed, clapping a hand on Gray's shoulder.

"A squirrel." Erza seethed, glaring at Natsu.

"What?" Natsu asked, turning to Erza with a confused expression.

"It was a _squirrel,_ not a demented _snail_!" the redhead spat, slamming her mug on the guild table.

Natsu frowned. "But Gray made it, how would you kno-" The color drained from his face as he realized what she meant. He had barely turned around to run when Erza grabbed him by the scarf and flung him into the wall.

The sound of cracking wood and alarmed exclamations sounded throughout the guild as Natsu was thrown about the guild, an enraged redhead tossing him about.

"I DIDN'T KNOW! I DIDN'T KNOW! IT WAS BEAUTIFUL, I TAKE IT BACK, I TAKE IT BACK!" Natsu exclaimed, tears streaming down his face as he begged Erza for forgiveness.

Lucy, meanwhile, sat next to Gray, taking a sip from Erza's mug. "You knew they were hers, didn't you?" Gray asked her.

She nodded. "Of course. You wouldn't make something _that _atrocious."

"Thanks."

They heard another loud crash, a mix of wood and dust encircling the fighting teammates.

"I don't know how you'll handle her." Lucy spoke.

"I don't either." After a third crash, he turned to her. "Should we help him?"

They watched as Natsu was slammed into the ground, Erza punching him repeatedly as soon as he landed. And despite his question Gray couldn't help but smile, the events before him too good to turn away from.

"This hot cocoa is really good."

"I know."


	11. Is There Somewhere

Hi, I'm back! How's everyone's school year going? For me it's been pretty busy, but I'm happy to have time to write. This chapter is based off of some of my own experiences...basically I wanted to focus on that instead of keeping Gray and Erza as much in character as they usually are...did that even make sense? Oh well, hopefully it did. Also, the sections in italics take place in the past.

I hope you enjoy, and leave a review! OH, AND WAIT TILL THE END FOR A SURPRISE ok bye enjoy

* * *

. . .

* * *

Erza was laying down on Lucy's bed, staring at the pink ceiling in deep thought. "I thought we were hanging out." she frowned.

Lucy sighed. "I know. But I told Natsu and he said he had an open house and wanted you to come...Don't you want to hang out with us?" She turned to her. "You need it."

Erza's frown deepened. "_I_ need it?" she repeated, clearly insulted.

"You're hurting, Erza."

Realizing what Lucy meant her expression softened. "I'm fine."

"I know you don't mean that." Lucy responded, giving her a pitied expression.

Erza cast her gaze to the floor. "...I don't like them. And I never will." she revealed.

Lucy sighed sadly. "I know. But you missed your chance, Erz. You gotta get past it; you can't keep complaining." She walked over and sat at the edge of the bed. The redhead remained silent. Lucy was right.

"They're dating. They've been dating, and there's nothing we can do about it." she continued, "Please, hang out with us. I promise to bring strawberry cake. And strawberry alc. And Natsu won't have any of it!" the blonde added enthusiastically.

"Well...is it okay if I go out on my own at some point? Sometimes I need to get away from everything, and..." Erza asked.

Lucy nodded with a cheerful smile. "Of course."

Ignoring her sinking feelings Erza nodded, accepting her offer. She watched Lucy happily prance back to her phone, probably texting Natsu. "T-thank you, Lucy." Erza spoke.

She turned back around, giving Erza another one of those pitied smiles. "You deserve it."

* * *

_Panicked, Lucy opened the bathroom door. She had checked the lunchroom, the courtyard, several classrooms, anywhere in school that_ _Erza could be. She sighed in relief when she saw the redhead standing at the sink, dabbing her eyes with paper towel._

"_Erza!" Lucy called, flocking to her friend. _

_Erza turned to her, and Lucy almost flinched. She was crying, the skin under her eyes a soft pink and the whites of her eyes now slightly red. "I'm sorry, I...I had to leave." she murmured._

_Lucy put a hand on her shoulder. "Erza, it's okay, it's really okay." She motioned to the floor. "Do you want to talk about it?"_

_Erza nodded, and the two of them walked past the sinks and sat down on the tiled bathroom floor. Lucy reached into her bag and handed her a tissue._

"_I don't know what's gotten over me," Erza apologized, delicately dabbing her eyes, "It was just so suffocating in there, and I-"_

"_Erza, it's fine. Really." Lucy assured her._

_Erza cleared her throat before continuing. "I just...I don't see how he could do this to me. They're dating, but...We're best friends, and I clearly liked him." She felt a tear roll down her cheek. "It doesn't make sense."_

"_Erza, we knew you liked him, we all did. And it kills me to say this, but what's done is done. Right now you need to move past it."_

_The redhead gulped. "What do I do?"_

"_You just accept it. I'm sure Gray will come to his senses in one way or another, but for now there's nothing more you can do than live with it." Lucy gave her a bright smile. "And we can help you! We're here for you, and we'll make sure you're okay."_

"_...Okay. I'll do that."_

"_Promise?"_

"_I promise."_

* * *

"Erza! Erza, come on, look!" an excited voice called.

Erza reluctantly rolled over the fluffy white sheets from her spot on the bed. She found herself laughing as she saw Gray on the other side of the room, energetically waving his arms back and forth. He danced in front of the huge window of Natsu's room, his black-tube-socked feet prancing around the wood floor.

"Now _this _is why you lost the dance-off." the redhead joked, propping herself up on her elbow as she watched Gray continue his lively actions.

"Excuse me, Scarlet. I woulda beat Natsu if he hadn't cheated."

Erza snorted. "I don't think it's cheating, I think you need to deal with the fact that we detest your dance moves."

Gray flung himself onto the bed, shaking the surface as he landed next to Erza. "Whatever. You still like me." He rolled back to the edge reaching a hand toward the floor, and pulled out a flask. "Strawberry?" he asked, looking at her promisingly.

With a calm expression she took the container from him and took a swig, feeling the sweet, heavy liquid travel down her throat and stick to the sides of her stomach. She passed it to Gray, watching as he took a swig too, laying next to her.

The night had consisted of their usual game playing, story sharing, and casual drinking. Erza was honestly enjoying herself. But there was a point when the laughter was too loud and the alcohol was too strong, so she left to Natsu's room.

She wasn't sure how he got here. One minute she was alone, calming herself down, and the next Gray was at her door, rambling that he was 'about to leave but saw the light on and decided to come in.' He was obviously a little under the influence, but then again she was too.

Gray stared out the window, his dark blue eyes watching the quiet nightlife outside with a childlike curiosity. As he gazed at the twinkling stars he leaned back, his head comfortably resting on Erza's shoulder. Her heart beat louder in her chest, her emotions tossing and turning. She studied his pink lips as they met the small end of the flask once more.

She wanted to kiss him, and he wasn't even her fucking boyfriend.

What did that make her? A traitor? An enemy?

_Honest?_

She gulped. She had been fighting it for this long, there was no reason for her to suddenly give in now. She was Gray's friend, his shoulder, the one he could always count on. It was meant to stay that way, and everyone made sure it did.

But his warm hand was now wrapped around hers, rough skin over soft. It was a simple gesture that was questioning the reality she had tried so hard to maintain.

She wasn't supposed to be with him, but god, did she want to.

"You know how this will look." Erza told him in a tone that was supposed to be a warning, but she couldn't bring herself to make it sound like one. Nevertheless she took another sip from their drink, another tally mark to the amount she had earlier that night.

"I know." he replied. It was a simple statement that she could have answered herself. She was about to leave when she felt his hand gently squeeze hers.

"Can I tell you something?" he asked.

She almost flinched at how raw he sounded. His tone didn't fit his outgoing personality, his cheeky grin, or his loud behavior. This was vulnerable Gray, clearly-under-the-influence Gray, but also...honest Gray.

_Honest_. What did that even mean anymore?

"What?" she asked, trying to keep her tone steady. She didn't want him to know she was still thinking about this.

"It's stupid." He chuckled to himself before facing her. "I think I love you."

She felt something catch in her throat as she faced him. She knew where he was going with this. It was something she had imagined countless times...She couldn't help the hopeful feeling rise in her stomach.

She studied him carefully; the way his perfectly messy locks framed his face, the way he smiled when he was relaxed and happy. She remembered their hands, and she knew what she was supposed to say.

Thinking carefully she put her other hand on top of his, knowing that this night would change her life in one way or another.

* * *

_The first time she ever witnessed their relationship was by accident._

_Sure, they had already been dating for a while, and they had all hung out as a group. But no matter what, if they were there Erza made sure that she didn't see them._

_It was typical Saturday at Natsu's house, eight of them hanging out in the pink haired boy's basement. She remembered Gray and Juvia leaving up the stairs, but like usual, she ignored it. And between the movie and the talking and the many laughs, she forgot that they had left._

_She went upstairs to grab food, only to stop on the wooden steps as she heard angry shouting coming from the kitchen. She thought back to Lucy and the others, but waved it off: with the surround sound they probably couldn't hear any of it._

_But she thought of her promise, the promise that she wouldn't care about Gray anymore. He had moved on, and she would too. She turned to walk back downstairs._

"_It's Erza, isn't it?!"_

_She froze, eyes widened in shock. Why would she come up in their fight? She turned back and crept up the stairs until she made it to the door, carefully peering outside. Gray and Juvia were, in fact, in the kitchen, too angry and too far away to notice her presence._

"_Erza has nothing to do with this!" Gray shouted back._

"_Then explain what I saw in your messages to Natsu!" the blue haired girl shouted back. A single light was on, but Erza could see her face clearly, her cheeks red in a frenzied rage._

"_What- you went through my phone?!"_

"_You told me to find his address, and I found this shit instead!"_

"_That was private!"_

"_Private- privacy shouldn't be an issue! We're _dating_, Gray! You can't talk about other girls like that!"_

_Erza's eyes widened again. What could he possibly have said about her?_

"_Oh my GOD-" Gray turned away from Juvia, holding his head in exasperation, "We're in his freaking house, can't this wait till later?!"_

"_No Gray, it can't! You said some amazing things about her, and I just…" She crossed her arms around herself. "You never talk about me that way." _

"_Of course I do!"_

"_You don't!"_

"_That's not true-"_

"_-You're in love with her, aren't you?"_

_Erza clasped a hand over her mouth. She watched Gray with the same expectant expression as Juvia. Gray stared at the ground, silent._

_After a while he stepped forward, wrapping his arms around Juvia. _

"_No." _

_A aching pain stabbed through Erza's chest. She felt the tears welling up as she stood from her crouched position. Lifting her sleeve she blotted her eyes gently, hastily leaving her spot before she could hear the rest of their conversation._

_She avoided hanging out with the group after that._

* * *

"What's wrong?" Gray murmured, turning to her as soon as he felt her other hand on top of his.

Erza looked at the white sheets, her eyes drooped sadly. She pushed his hands away. "You know we can't." she told him, her lips quivering. She couldn't give in. Gray wasn't hers, and he wouldn't be.

Gray frowned, sitting up across from her. "I thought this is what you wanted?" he asked, almost confused.

"I do want this, you _know_ I want this." But she shook her head. "This isn't the time, or the place. You know that!" She angrily spat the last part. She wanted to forget all her feelings for him, but she couldn't ignore the thousands of thoughts that were running through her brain, telling her otherwise.

She turned to him, seeing the disappointment on her face. She searched for the feeling of relief she was supposed to feel, but to her dismay felt her heart sink instead.

_You love him! _

_Move!_

_You're not being true to yourself!_

She gulped her conflicting thoughts away, resting a hand over his. "We missed our chance." she spoke, trying not to let any of her thoughts show. She shifted away from him. "I think you should leave-"

She remained on the bed. Gray's hand was planted over hers. "Fuck what they think."

"Gray, s-"

"We haven't missed it yet."

She stared at him in disbelief.

_Is this what she had been waiting her whole life for?_

Between her conflicted thoughts and the unbelievable reality in front of her it was impossible to focus, but all ceased when Gray's lips suddenly crashed into hers.

* * *

_Gray finally caught up to her, falling into step as they walked down the sidewalk. He frowned, noticing that Erza hadn't bothered to even bat an eyelash at his sudden presence._

"_We need to talk." he told her, his tone serious._

"_We can talk." she shrugged._

_Gray rolled his eyes. "Seriously."_

"_Who said I wasn't being serious? If you say it is, I believe you."_

"_I just...I need to know if you're okay. That I'm dating Juvia."_

"_I'm fine." was all she replied, quickening her pace._

_Gray matched it. "C'mon, Erza, talk to me. It's about us!" _

"_About_ us_? If I recall correctly, you stated that there was nothing between us anymore." She finally met his eyes, only to glare at him. "Isn't that why you started dating her in the first place?"_

_Gray sighed. "You're right, but...I needed to ask you."_

"_You asked me the day it happened, in the lunchroom, in front of all our friends. Why do you need to ask me again? To rub it in my face?!"_

"_I need to convince myself!"_

_His sudden outburst made her freeze. She watched as his eyes fell to the ground, grimacing. He wasn't lying._

"_Sorry, Erz. I didn't mean to yell like that…"_

_She saw his pained expression and felt the sudden urge to hold him. He looked beyond sad, almost defeated. But she clenched her nails into her hand, keeping herself from extending him a caring arm. _

"_Look, I know you __made that promise to yourself, but for what it's worth…" He looked at her with a humorless expression that almost made her flinch. "I feel like if things were different, I'd be with you."_

_She remembered crying a lot that night._

* * *

She fell onto the bed, Gray's legs straddling over her. Their hands roamed about, soft skin gripping soft skin with a hungry curiosity. She had been craving this, and clearly Gray had as well.

She gripped his navy locks, trying to pull his lips closer to hers. Her other hand was on his chest, nails clenched around his black v-neck. One of his hands ran up and down her stomach, massaging the smooth skin under her sweater. She gasped as she felt his other hand grip her thigh, his thumb hooked around the edge of her shorts, achingly close to a different source of heat.

They pulled apart. "Is this okay?" he panted, making sure she was alright.

She gave him a frantic nod, almost pulling his head back in too soon. But Gray responded just as desperately, roughly pressing his lips into hers in a way that was sure to leave bruises. She laughed lightly as Gray moved downward, his teeth ruggedly grazing into the soft skin between her neck and shoulder. She could just _see_ the purple marks that would be left on her ivory skin. His toned chest pressed into hers, warm body on warm body.

For a second time they pulled apart and stared at each other, the only sound in the room their heavy panting. He didn't have to ask if she wanted to continue. They somehow found energy to smile at each other, almost laughing at how badly they both needed this.

Gray's lips crashed against hers once more. She felt her eyes well up with tears, but for the first time in her life she didn't feel sad. She closed her eyes blissfully, finally giving in.

She didn't hear the shouting.

* * *

"_Gray mentioned you the other day." Juvia told her, arms crossed from her seat on the other side of the cafeteria table. It was just the two of them so far, their other friends yet to join them._

"_Okay." Erza responded. It wasn't rude, it wasn't haughty. She had nothing else to say._

"_He talks highly of you."_

"_That's nice."_

_An awkward silence fell between them. Erza contently continued eating her lunch while Juvia stared at her. The blue haired girl suddenly sighed._

"_Can I ask you something? And can you be honest with me?" she asked, leaning across the table._

"_Sure."_

"_Do you like Gray?"_

_Erza sighed this time, putting her sandwich down. She glared at the other girl, her irritation obvious. "Why would you ask me that?"_

_Juvia leaned back in her seat, watching Erza carefully. "You guys have always been close, everyone knows that. Really close."_

"_So?"_

"_I see the way you look at him, Erza. I see the way he looks at you too."_

"_We're friends__, Juvia."_

"_Look, __I know our relationship was sudden, but you had your chance."_

"_Are you accusing me of stealing your boyfriend?"_

"_Of course not." She locked eyes with her. "I'm telling you to get your feelings straight."_

"_What? What feelings?" Erza was beyond annoyed by now._

"_Things are different now, Erza." _

_Just as she spoke the rest of their friends sat down next to them, completely unaware of the conversation that had just taken place._

"_Hey, w__e miss anything?" Lucy asked cheerfully, sitting next to Erza._

_Erza looked across the table at Juvia, who was now joined by Gray, the boy looking into his girlfriend's eyes just as adoringly as she looked into his._

_She shook her head. _"_Nothing."_

* * *

If she could do it all again, she wouldn't mess up. If she wasn't thinking about Gray's sudden focus on her she would have heard the slamming doors and hysteric yelling coming from the staircase. She would have stopped and told him that it was wrong, that this wasn't the time or place, but that it could be. She'd ask him to leave with her, to meet her at a place that wasn't so compromising.

But the minute she allowed herself to look into his dark blue eyes she had lost all control.

"Juvia, please, stop!"

"He said he left, but his car is still here; I know _exactly _where he is!"

Before either Gray or Erza could react they heard the successful _click_ of the turning doorknob. All it took was a second, and the shouts that the door had muffled were now inside their room.

"Juvia, stop!" Lucy shouted as she tugged the blue haired girl back, but the rage on Juvia's face was indomitable.

Gray and Erza pulled apart quickly, but nothing could hide their compromising positions. The room fell silent, so silent Erza could swear the digital clock was ticking. Juvia stared back at them, her forehead etched in fury, her jaw completely dropped. Erza could see the tears form in her eyes as she stared at them in disbelief.

"ARE YOU FUCKING _KIDDING _ME_?!" _she shrieked. Her anger was pointed directly at Erza. "YOU...YOU _BITCH_!" She charged at the redhead, hand raised. Gray stood up between them in an attempt to protect Erza as Lucy held Juvia back.

"Juvia, stop!" Lucy repeated.

"_I'm the one that's dating him!" _Juvia yelled, her tone so brash her words stabbed into Erza's brain. Erza remained silent, although she stared at the blue haired girl through slit eyes.

"You had your chance with him, but he's _mine_ now!" Juvia continued to shriek, angrily stomping her foot. "Why hasn't that ever gotten through your thick skull-"

"-Juvia, _enough!_" Gray shouted, hoping to quiet her.

But Juvia looked to him with the same hatred. "And what the _fuck_ am I supposed to say to you?! You fucking cheated on me! With _her!_ You said you were over her, but you just...you fucking _liar_!"

Gray started shouting back at her, just as angry. Natsu had jumped in, both him and Lucy trying to calm them down. Erza, on the other hand, stood up. She understood that Juvia was angry; she had every right to be. But it wasn't a reason for her to stay. She was done.

Juvia narrowed her eyes as she saw the redhead walk away from the bed. "And where are _you_ going?" she demanded.

"I'm done."

"How can _you _be done?! _YOU FUCKING STARTED THIS!_"

Ignoring her angry shrieks Erza moved past her, almost at the door. But Juvia followed her, shouting relentlessly.

"Don't you _dare _leave! Not after you pretended to love him!"

_Pretended. _Erza clenched her fist. She saw it now: to Juvia this was all an act, a ploy so Erza could steal her boyfriend from her evil ways. Erza spun around to face them, her anger surpassing Juvia's. "That's a lie."

"What?!"

"I did things tonight that I never, _ever _would have thought of doing. But I _never _pretended to love Gray." she seethed, glaring threateningly at Juvia. Natsu, Lucy, Juvia, even Gray stared at her in disbelief. Even Erza couldn't believe that she had finally admitted the feelings she had held back for so long...and she realized it was stupid. So, so stupid.

To everyone's surprise, even her own, she started laughing.

"E-Erza?" Lucy asked cautiously, taking hesitant a step toward her best friend.

"I'm sorry." she apologized, but her awkward laughs continued.

"_You're _sorry?!" Juvia spat.

"I didn't mean to, but," she spoke, her gaze directly on Gray. "I fell in love tonight."

The room filled with a deathly silence. She turned around to leave, squeezing past their other friends who had gathered around the door to see what the commotion was. Judging by the looks on their faces she could tell that the sight in front of them was not what they expected.

The room erupted into an uproar again, Juvia screaming at her to "get back here" and Lucy's shouts to calm the other girl down. Erza ignored them, but turned around just before she left. Amidst all the chaos she locked eyes with Gray, dark blue and caramel brown. She looked at him the same way he had looked at her minutes before, a look that told him exactly how she felt. He gave her a slow nod.

A second later she turned her back to him, walking out of the room. No one stopped her.

She was going somewhere, _anywhere_ she could be herself. Somewhere where she didn't have to make promises that were impossible to keep. No matter where that was, she was leaving: it was up to Gray to follow her.

* * *

. . .

* * *

I hope you all enjoyed. Now, SURPRISE TIME: As some of you noticed, I deleted my Teamwork chapter from my Grayza Week entries because...I'm writing a Grayza highschool AU based off of it!

Okay yeah I know this surprise doesn't consist of cookies or cake or anything like that, but tbh I'm just as excited about it. In addition to updating the new story I will also be updating this collection, so keep checking back because I'll be active on both! I'm still planning out the chapters, but I am _beyond_ excited to be writing it because high school AUs are my faves.

Also, it'll be a multiship story. That being said, _please _tell me who you guys ship Cana, Loke, and Mira with! I haven't watched that far into the series to really ship them with anyone myself, but from various fics and tumblr posts I see people ship Cana with Hibiki, Loke with Virgo, and Mira with Laxus/Freed? Let me know what you guys prefer...fr I have no idea so help is very much needed thank u.

I hope to hear from you guys soon :) Have a great day!

~PinkKoala213


	12. Secret Santa

HI YES I KNOW it's been _forever. _I won't go into too many details, but here is some advice: don't download Pokemon Reborn, because it is addictive and you will spend every waking minute playing (but actually download it, it's beautifully done and fun asl).

This is my secret santa gift for silentsmilez on tumblr! I hope you enjoy, and I apologize for the delay! Again, Pokemon Reborn...anyways, thank you to Yuri Hannah for letting me know about this amazing gift exchange event, and grayzaexchange for organizing all of it and getting me involved! I hope you're all having a wonderful holiday break :) Without further ado, enjoy!

* * *

Levy squealed in excitement, standing behind Gajeel as she covered his eyes with her small hands. Gajeel, on the other hand, was not as excited. The black haired boy was basically squatting in order for her to reach his face. "Yo, Shrimp, this is supposed to take two seconds, tops." he reminded her. "Besides, this height is uncomfortable. And your hands aren't even completely covering my eyes."

"Oh, shush. It's completely worth it, trust me." She bounced on the bench. "You ready?"

Gajeel scoffed. "I've _been_ ready, you've just been taking an obscenely large amount of time to- " Levy lifted her hands. As soon as Gajeel's eyes adjusted, he gasped. He rushed forward, throwing the red bow off his present. "This- this is- " He paused, turning to Levy. "This is so...cute!"

Levy nodded just as excitedly. "I know! I thought it was a little big at first, but the minute I saw Pantherlily I knew it would fit."

Gajeel nodded at the green-with-dancing-gingerbread men onesie in approval. "I'm going to give this to him the minute I see him." He turned back to Levy. "Thank you so much. This is the best Secret Santa gift ever."

"Wait, that's not all." Levy responded, turning to the guild bench, another present in her hands.

Gajeel took the item, carefully unwrapping it. He gasped, the wrapping paper falling to the ground. "Levy, this is…?"

Levy smiled as she nodded. "I know, I know, I thought it was too much too. But I also thought that if I did enough to get Pantherlily one, I might as well go all out and get you one too. Now you guys can match!" She hooked her hands behind her back, looking at Gajeel nervously. "Do you...like it?" she asked.

Gajeel looked at his own onesie, shaking his head. "I…" He folded it over his arm and turned to Levy, enveloping the small girl in a bear hug. "I love it!"

At another table, Natsu watched Lucy open her present, eyes wide with anticipation. The blonde gave him a suspicious raise of her eyebrow, before tearing off the red and green wrapping paper. She looked between Natsu and her gift. "Natsu...what is this?"

Natsu clapped his hands excitedly. "Read it! Read it!"

"I-I read it, Natsu."

"Don't you like it?!"

"Natsu...why would I _ever _need a _POTATO LAUNCHER_?"

"Why wouldn't you? It's a catapult that launches potatoes!"

"Yeah, but why would _I _need one?!" Lucy shouted, fighting every urge in her body to smack the boy next to her.

Natsu put a fist under his chin in thought. "Well, you're always talking about how you're craving potatoes, whether they're baked, wedges, chips, straws...and now they can be your favorite game too!"

Lucy stared at him in wonder. While his present was ridiculous, the fact that Natsu had listened to every one of Lucy's cravings and hungry complaints...flattered her. Her face broke into a smile as she stuck the box out to Natsu. "Would you do the honors of teaching me?"

Natsu's face lit up in excitement. "Of course!" he agreed.

Across the guild Mira was standing at her usual spot behind the bar, watching Natsu and Lucy, when a small box appeared in front of her. She turned around, only to see Freed standing next to her. The green haired boy gave her a nod. She excitedly opened the box, and gasped in delight as she saw the contents. She lifted her gift up- dangling from her hand was a thin chain, silver necklace. A beautiful snowflake charm rested at its center, shining in the warm, holiday light. "Freed, this is- it's beautiful!" she gushed, turning to the green haired boy with glee.

"Of course. May I?" he asked, taking the gift. Mira nodded, turning around as he put the necklace around her neck. Mira put an appreciative hand over the charm, before turning to Freed, the two smiling broadly at each other.

And despite all the cheer and happiness of the Secret Santa gift giving that was going on around her, Erza Scarlet was annoyed. She crossed her legs, tapping her bottom foot on the floor with impatience. She crossed her arms, looking around guild for anything other than _annoying _couples.

She had already given her assigned gift: a set of fountain pens and a new, leather bound notebook for Freed. And while the green haired boy was extremely appreciative of her gift, he wasted no time in flirting with Mira, who happened to walk in a second later.

She looked up at the abundantly decorated ceiling. Maybe it was the crabby mood she woke up in, or the fact that she almost burned her hot chocolate this morning -how does one even do that? -, or even that she stubbed her toe on a bench just twelve minutes ago: her irritable mood wasn't going to be lifted by any amount of Christmas cheer.

And it _definitely _didn't have anything to do with the couples that surrounded her.

"Hey, Erza, look at what Natsu gave me!" Lucy called, bounding toward the redhead.

"I saw. I am not interested in such _juvenile_ weapons." Erza responded flatly.

Lucy took no notice of her friend's annoyance. "C'mon Erza, let's test it out!" she urged, tugging the redhead's arm.

"Yeah, Erza! I have it all ready!" Natsu agreed, holding a sack of potatoes in his arms.

Erza turned away from them. "No, thank you." She sent them an angry glare. "I better not see that _thing_ inside, ever." she warned.

Natsu and Lucy suddenly stood up straight, fear gripping them. "Uh, yes, of course!" they agreed, before hastily running outside.

As soon as they left Erza couldn't help but feel the slightest bit regretful: the launcher did look fun, and any sort of target practice would be beneficial. But instead of getting up and running after them, she swung her legs around, properly sitting at the guild table. Maybe she could just go home- clearly there wasn't anything left for her to do. Sure, her Secret Santa hadn't given her a gift yet, but she had already given hers, and wasn't that the point of Christmas? Giving and not getting? Besides, if she was already this irritated, she had to leave before _he_ showed up-

"Ho ho ho, is that Erza I see?" a voice chuckled behind her.

_Of course._

Erza sighed internally, before turning around. Gray was standing behind her, dressed in a Santa Claus costume, complete with a sack of gifts hanging over his shoulder. "What do you want." she responded flatly.

Gray reached behind his back, chuckling. "Ohoho, nothing more than to say...Merry Christmas!" He threw his hand forward, a handful of snow showering over Erza.

To his disappointment, the redhead remained unfazed. "Okay, Gray." she stated, getting up to leave.

"Whoa, where are you going? It's Christmas day! Ho ho ho!" he laughed, sitting Erza back down.

"I'm going home, and- would you stop talking in that stupid voice?!" she snapped, swatting his hand away.

"Ohoho, _someone_ isn't in the Christmas spirit!" Gray continued, heartedly smacking Erza's shoulder.

As if his voice and his stupid costume weren't enough, the smacks on her shoulder were the final straw. Erza stood up suddenly, her irritation level higher than it should ever be, especially on Christmas. "Stop touching me, stop talking, stop your fake beard, stop- whatever _that _is," She pointed at Gray's artificial potbelly, "and just leave me _ALONE_\- " She was cut off when she felt Gray's gloved hands on her shoulders, leading her toward the guild doors.

"Someone's been rude and ungrateful today! I guess I'll have to throw them out, ho ho ho-"

"Gray, stop that!" she snapped, swatting his hands away. "I woke up crabby, I burned by hot cocoa, my toe is _still _throbbing, and I still haven't received my gift- "

"-I know."

Erza arched an eyebrow at him in confusion. "You know? What do you mean, 'you know?' It's like you're not listening, I don't want- eep!" She was suddenly swooped into Gray's arms, the ice mage carrying her to the door. "What- Gray, what the hell?!" she scolded, squirming in his grip.

"I know you haven't gotten your gift yet." he stated nonchalantly, unfazed by her thrashing.

Erza couldn't help eye him curiously. While this was unexpected, it felt...nice. She felt the hot blush immediately rush over her face. "What do you mean you know? Stop being creepy, you dumb exhibitionist!" she spat.

"Would you relax for like, two seconds? We're outside, imagine what the townspeople would think if they saw you like this."

"That's fine! Then they'll see how creepy _you_ really are!"

"Alright, have it your way. We're nearly there."

"If you're throwing me in one of those pits again, I'll kindly remind you that I can requip any sword- "

"We're here."

"Here? _Where_?! I don't know what you're planning, but it's- " Erza suddenly quieted, something else catching her eye. She slowly slipped out of Gray's arms, carefully walking forward.

In front of her was a sheet of ice, the pristine surface glittering back at her. The borders were lined with sculpted ice walls, standing sturdily around the ice. Several benches were placed around it, forming an ice rink. At the doorway of the rink was a red sign. She read the sign, the words 'Merry Christmas, Erza!' formed out of Christmas tree lights. She brought a hand to her mouth, gasping in shock.

She spun around, all her previous anger and annoyance forgotten. "Gray, is this- you did- ?" she stammered, her eyes glassing over the tiniest bit.

The ice mage nodded, smirking proudly. "You mentioned how fun ice skating would be, so you didn't really give me much of a choice." He shrugged the present sack across his shoulder, placing it on the ground. He reached inside, pulling out a pair of skates. "You in?"

Erza nodded, the two making their way over to one of the benches on the side.

* * *

"C'mon Erza, you're slowing me down!" Gray laughed, sprinting across the ice.

Erza, meanwhile, wasn't having as easy of a time. The redhead was barely moving, wiggling her way across the slippery surface. "I don't know how you're doing this, especially when you're wearing all _that_." she muttered.

"Oh, this? This is nothing. Besides," he crossed his arms, proudly puffing his chest out. "Am I not the _hottest _Santa you've seen?"

Erza rolled her eyes. "I don't know Gray. Maybe that potbelly isn't as fake as I thought."

He frowned back at her. "At least it's not slowing me down."

The redhead glowered at him, growling in annoyance. She started going faster, pushing her feet across the ice towards him. "Gray, you get on my last nerves- ah!" She shrieked a second time that day as she fell to the ground, flat on her stomach. She looked up, obviously ashamed, while Gray skated over, laughing loudly.

He extended a hand down to her, "Titania, Queen of the Fairies, everyone." he joked, helping her up.

"Queen of the Fairies that could easily kill you right now…" she grumbled, slowly standing up. They skated side by side, gliding slowly around the rink. Erza looked up at him. She hadn't really gotten this close to him, especially when it was just the two of them. But underneath the ridiculous hat, and the fake beard...Gray was actually quite attractive.

She immediately looked down, her face reddening. Did she really just think that? That Gray, her comrade, the person she knew for _forever_, was...attractive? _Well, he _does _know how to tone his body…_ She shook her head, trying to rid another embarrassed flush from her face.

"What? Do you not like it?" Gray asked, interrupting her thoughts.

"What?! Oh, no, of course not! I love it, it's just I…"

Gray stared at her curiously. "You just...what?"

Erza looked up at him, shyly meeting his eyes. "Well, this might seem a bit weird. Well, it definitely _is_ weird, it doesn't just_ seem_ weird. But I've been thinking about this a lot...well, not a _lot _a lot, because that would be weird, but I- "

Gray put a hand over her mouth, cutting her off. "Erza, you mean a lot to me, but you're babbling right now." he laughed, as Erza swatted his hand away. She found herself laughing as well. They had stopped skating, standing still in the center of the ice. Gray was smiling at her, his dark blue eyes twinkling in the winter light. She felt a rush of adrenaline taking over. Ignoring everything around her she stood on her tiptoes, pulled his beard down, and leaned forward-

Gray wasn't sure what happened next, but it definitely wasn't what he expected.

He slowly sat up, shaking his head. He had fallen on his butt, but that wasn't the only part of him that was in pain.

He looked to his left: Erza had fallen as well, except on her side. And while Gray had a confused expression on his face, Erza was seething, sending a death glare to something in the distance. Gray looked past her, and saw a rather large potato on the surface of the ice. _Wait, a potato? Why is there a potato…?_ He paled, remembering the Christmas present he had bought with Natsu just a week before. He followed Erza's gaze, and sure enough- Natsu and Lucy were standing on a hill nearby, potato launcher and potato sack next to them. Except Lucy wasn't holding the catapult...it was Natsu.

Gray spun his head to Erza. "Erza, don't- " he warned, but the redhead was already trudging up the hill, skates on and potato in hand. He watched as she approached Natsu, the pink haired boy frozen in fear.

Lucy held her hands up, slowly approaching Erza. "N-now, Erza, let's just take a deep breath. We can just talk this out, like usual- "

"-Is this is your potato?" the redhead asked darkly, only looking at Natsu.

"Well, technically, it's the _store's_ potato, as they sold it to me. And technically it's also the Earth's potato, because it was grown in the Earth, and it's also- "

"Is this. Your. Potato." Erza repeated, holding the potato out to Natsu.

Natsu gulped. "Yes. It is my potato."

Erza grinned sinisterly. "I thought so." She threw the object at Natsu, sending him to the ground.

"I WAS TEACHING LUCY! IT WAS A LESSON! EDUCATION! IT WAS EDUCATION!" Natsu cried, but Erza ignored him. She grabbed him by his scarf, chucking him into a pine tree nearby.

Gray sat at one of the benches, watching the two of them in stunned silence. "You think he deserved it?" Lucy asked, the blonde sitting next to him.

He shrugged. "You could've picked a better spot to practice."

"You know what's crazy?" Lucy leaned towards him. "I was the one that launched it."

Gray stared at her in disbelief. "Y-you?! How are you not scared out of your mind? And how are _you_ not getting beat up by Erza?!"

"You know my aim is a little faulty. As soon as I launched it Natsu took over, because he wanted to go next." She shrugged. "Wrong time, wrong place."

"That's crazy." They continued watching Erza and Natsu, Erza now rolling his unconscious body in the snow.

"Hey, this is really nice." Lucy remarked, gesturing to Gray's ice rink.

Gray nodded in appreciation. "Thanks. She really liked it too."

"I think she liked someone else a bit more." Lucy winked.

Gray rolled his eyes, but the hot blush on his cheeks told Lucy otherwise. "Does she really?" he muttered.

Lucy laughed at his embarrassment, before they both turned back to the scene in front of them. Natsu was still unconscious, but his body was now in the middle of a large snowball. Erza was nearby him, rolling another snowball. "Um...is Erza making a snowman?" Lucy asked, snickering.

Gray couldn't help but laugh as well. "And she's still got her skates on." he remarked.

Lucy arched an eyebrow at him. "So, are you gonna tell her or not?"

Gray's face reddened again, but he shook his head. "I think her mind's on other things tonight. But I will, soon." Lucy nodded in approval, and the two of them looked forward again, watching Erza with interest.

"Should we wake him up?" Lucy asked, eyes on Natsu.

Gray followed her gaze, watching Erza lift another large snowball on top of the one Natsu was in. "So...I'll get the coal and sticks?"

Lucy stood up. "I'll get a carrot." She pointed at Gray's head. "We can use your hat."

"Don't forget a camera. I want this printed out for every person in the guild."

"Of course. Go help your _girlfriend _with another snowball." Lucy winked, before jogging to the guild.

Gray rolled his eyes, but walked towards Erza anyway. _This could definitely work._ he smiled, and began rolling another snowball with Erza.

* * *

Happy New Year! You guys make me the happiest. Do leave a review if you enjoyed, and I'll be posting more things soon!

-Pinky


	13. Constant

Something quick and definitely different from what I normally write. Thanking the Miraculous Ladybug fandom for the idea and tumblr for the basic quote that actually fit really well with it. There's angst, you've been warned. Heehee.

* * *

Erza wanted to scream. She wanted to scream, cry, do anything that would let the world know what was wrong. But her voice caught in her throat, tangled with her emotions and leaving her with nothing. She sprinted to the other side of the rooftop, legs bounding numbly across the hard surface. She collapsed to her knees, whatever pain she was supposed to feel going unnoticed.

She held her hands helplessly over his body, not sure where to touch him. She wanted to hold him, to prop his head up on her lap, to carry him to safety- but the blood that covered him was getting darker and spreading faster. She grimaced, trying to focus on his face. Her voice found its way again, a rushed whisper. "What's all this blood?!" she hissed, looking down.

Gray remained still below her. He weakly raised his hand to her metal armor, pulling her towards him. "You need to tell the others. _Now._" he urged, his words slow and pained.

She grabbed his hand from the metal lining, holding it in her own instead. "What happened? Who did this to you?!" she demanded.

But Gray shook his head. "Get Natsu and Lucy. You need to hurry."

"What are you talking about?!" She pressed his pale knuckles to her forehead, closing her eyes as an attempt to stop her tears. "Dammit Gray, this isn't the time for your stupid ego! You need help, now!"

He shook his head again. Erza tried ignoring the blood forming at the corner of his mouth. "You're running out of time. He's too strong."

She tried to focus on the urgency of voice. "Who? Who's too strong?"

"Erza, you need to go!"

"_Answer _me, Gray- " Suddenly her entire breath knocked out of her as a heavy object slammed against her chest, throwing her against one of the back walls.

Her breaths were rapid and shallow, each inhale and exhale confirming that she was, in fact, alive. She forced her eyes open, trying to blink away the pain in her chest and the black spots clouding her vision.

A man stepped out, arm extending the metal rod that had pushed her out of the way. "You should have listened to him." he sneered sinisterly, walking in front of her.

"Who are you?!" she demanded, squinting her eyes to find some sort of recognition in him. But it was too dark, and he was too far away.

"You'd think you'd listen to something so important." he responded, ignoring her.

He continued walking forward. It was still dark out, but Erza saw Gray's body twitch in fear. _He knows who this is._ "Stay away from him!" she cried, trying to get out of the trap she was in.

"It's a shame." he continued. In her squirming she saw a glint of silver. An alarm went off in her brain, but she was too late. Terror gripped her body as she screamed, watching their attacker plunge the sword into Gray's body.

"_NO!_" she screamed, feeling the life in her own body escaping her. She was surrounded by blackness, unable to move her body or open her eyes.

It was all wrong. He shouldn't have been by himself. She should have been with him, _they all_ should have been with him. If they hadn't split up, if they hadn't followed _her _idea, this would never have happened.

Gray was dead, and it was her fault. She didn't even know what had happened.

"_Erza...?"_

One second he was there. She had seen him just before, his laughter and haughty smirk still in her mind. But another second passed, and next thing she knew he was at her feet, unable to form a sentence without coughing up blood.

"_Erza."_

She was warned this would happen. She should have listened to him. Maybe then she wouldn't have been so useless. She could have helped him, but instead she allowed herself to get caught. Cause and effect, her weakness was his death.

"_Erza, come on."_

She could have done more. She _should_ have done more. Where did she go from here? It was only a matter of time...

"_Erza!"_

..._what was that?_

"_Are you okay__?"_

..._that's not right._

"_Get up, please!"_

_It can't be._

She opened her eyes, the night sky staring back at her. She blinked her vision clear, but her view remained the same. She frowned, the stars twinkling down at her. Puzzled she cautiously felt her chest, in contact with nothing but the cold surface of her armor: no rod, no pain.

The person next to her exhaled in relief. "Oh, thank goodness." She jumped upright, staring at him- Gray was there, kneeling next to her. She grabbed his crimson shirt, scanning his body: not a single drop of blood was found. "Hey, what are you- "

"What happened? Are you hurt?!" she exclaimed, her grip around his shirt tightening.

"What are you talking about? I'm fine, would you _relax_?!" he frowned, trying to push away from her, but Erza's grip was solid steel. "What's wrong with you?"

She frowned. "What's wrong with me? What's wrong with _you?_ You're...you're fine!"

"Of course I am! I- " He sighed, lowering his voice. "You didn't come back to the meeting spot in time, so Natsu and Lucy made me go get you. I found you here, asleep. I was about to wake you, but you started moving, and..._crying_, and…"

"Crying?" she repeated, holding her hands to her face. Her fingertips traced her smooth skin, feeling the dampness on her cheeks. "I was crying…"

Gray frowned, concern growing. "Are you okay? Did something happen?"

Erza stared at him. A wave of relief washed over her, but she couldn't get the image of his bloody body out of her mind. "I don't...I can't…"

"Look, you're fine now. We'll go back to Natsu and Lucy, and you'll be back home in- " He let out a soft _oof_. He looked down in confusion: Erza's arms were wrapped around his torso, her face buried in his chest. "...E-Erza?"

She held him tightly, feeling his slow breaths and the warmth of his body next to hers. She closed her eyes, sighing in relief. "I won't let that happen to you. Ever."

Gray remained silent, slowly wrapping his arms around her. He didn't have to know what had happened, it was a constant in their lives: he only had to know that she was there for him, and he would be there for her.

* * *

I have more fics for this collection on the way! It's been way too long :,( I'll be updating my other multi-chap too, so be sure to check it out. Love y'all, don't forget to review!

-Pinky


	14. Trust

A little somethin to kick off summer :)

* * *

Gray opened the guild doors, face lighting up when he saw the redhead he was looking for alone at a table. He walked over to her, a smile on his face. "Yo Erza, I- "

"What is it, Gray." she spoke, her response more of a demand than a question. She could tell what he wanted simply by the pace of his approaching footsteps, but she decided to give fate a chance to prove her otherwise.

"I wanted to ask you a favor."

_So predictable. _ She tapped her finger on the wooden surface of the guild table. "What makes you think I'd help you, Gray?"

Gray jumped at her cold tone. "It's a favor Erza, jeez!"

"But you assumed I'd accept."

He nodded, "Naturally." he continued, "I wanted to choose the next mission."

"The next mission?!" Erza laughed sarcastically, before turning back to the papers in front of her. "Right. Good one."

He frowned, confused. "What's up with you?"

She motioned to the sheets of paper in front of her. "Can't you see I'm busy?"

He looked over her shoulder. "With what?" Truthfully, he didn't notice the papers in front of her when he was walking in. But looking at the fine black print and signature lines, he realized the documents on the table were important. He frowned- it was rare to see any sort of paperwork in the guild.

Unbeknownst to Gray, the expected success of Team Natsu's last mission also came the expected damage in the city. Unfortunately, one of the restaurants they stopped at decided to charge for Natsu's destruction. And as the pink haired boy was out on a mission and put it off for this long, the responsibility fell on...well, Erza.

"Something that's not my problem."

"Alright." Gray shrugged, sitting next to her. "I can help you, if you want."

"Thanks, but I'd prefer to get it right on the first time."

"Okay, what's this about?" Gray asked, his initial fear of her cold attitude vanishing.

"What do you mean?" she responded, swirling her signature on the sheet of paper.

"This. Your entire attitude today."

She shrugged. "I'm no different than I was yesterday."

"Erza, we've been through countless, _dangerous_ situations, but when I come to you for a simple favor- " He paused.

Erza looked up, seeing a smile of realization form on his face. He stood up and began pacing around her. "What?"

"I know what it is." he nodded, smile getting bigger with every step he took.

"_What_?" she repeated, watching him carefully.

He stopped, clapping his hands together. "You don't trust me."

Erza stared at him. "What are you talking about?"

"No, I'm right. You, Erza Scarlet," he pointed at her, "don't trust me."

She scoffed. "Gray, don't be ridiculous."

"Please. I could think of hundreds of examples."

"Really?" She turned around, facing him. "Like what?"

"Okay, well," Gray held a pensive hand under his chin. "What about that time we were celebrating Lucy's birthday? And you wouldn't let me hold the cake when we brought it in?"

"Gray, you're an ice mage. The last thing we needed was a frozen cake."

"It was an ice cream cake!"

"...Still."

"And the other time you refused to let me drive home from a mission, even when you were low on sleep."

"False. I wasn't low on sleep, I was low on patience for the rest of you."

"We stopped halfway so you could take a nap!"

"Still not valid."

"Or the time you specifically asked me to not be in the room when you were deciding what to wear for New Year's?"

Erza laughed at that one. "Okay, _that's_ ridiculous."

"It's not like you were uncomfortable."

"Sure I was!"

"Erza, we used to take baths together and we go to the beach often, it's not like I'd see anything I didn't already know was there."

Erza sat up in her seat, ignoring the heat that was warming her face. "You're a...guy."

"You had Natsu in the room!"

"Okay, but your input wasn't needed at the time."

"So _Natsu_ has a better sense of style than I do?"

Erza bit her tongue. "Sure." she lied.

Gray held his stomach, roaring with laughter. "He wears the same thing everyday!"

"At least he doesn't wear a purple Hawaiian shirt."

He nodded proudly. "You're right, but that's because he doesn't know fashion. I do, and let me say that's a _stylin_ purple Hawaiian shirt."

"You also have that weird scarf."

"_Far _from weird."

"And you wear capes."

"Don't you?! And don't make me mention those bell bottoms you count as armor."

Erza scoffed. "Because it _is_ armor!"

"Not when the top is made of nothing but wraps- "

"-Okay!" Erza interjected, holding her hands up. "I get it, you think I don't trust you."

Gray rolled his eyes. "That's the only thing I've been saying!"

"So what do you want me to do about it? Write a letter, make a poster, or even a banner- "

He held up his hand. "That's all flattering, really, but I had something else in mind."

"And that is?"

He crossed his arms, smirking. "Trust fall."

Erza snorted. "What?"

"Trust fall." he repeated, expression unchanged.

"So you're telling me that you want me to fall into your arms and hope you catch me."

"Not hope, trust. That's the whole point of it."

"Right, and I'm the nicest person anyone has ever met." She shook her head, almost laughing. "Really, Gray, this is ridiculous."

"C'mon Erza, how many times have I asked you to do something ridiculous?" He held his arms out. "You can trust me."

Erza scanned him. She did feel a sort of wariness towards him, but his welcoming stance and strong arms pushed that feeling went away. She slit her eyes as she slowly nodded, standing up. "Alright." she agreed, standing in front of him.

Gray nodded. "When you're ready."

She turned around, scanning their distance from each other. "You have to catch me right away. I shouldn't fall back any farther than two feet, okay?"

He laughed. "Erza, that's not even a fall, that's like leaning backwards."

" I don't want any surprises."

"Okay."

"I'm serious, Gray."

He nodded. "I know, I know, you got it. Two feet, no more."

She turned around again, looking him over one last time. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes. She held her arms out, slowly tipping herself backward. _Was this really happening? _ She felt the small breeze under her hair. _She was trusting Gray!..well, for a couple feet at least._

_Or not._

She felt her body fall lower than expected, falling faster to the ground than she could think. She opened her eyes, already feeling the pain as she crashed on the ground's cold surface-

A pair of sturdy hands kept her up, tightly gripping the insides of her arms. She breathed a sigh of relief, before growling. "Gray, you almost _dropped_ me." she spoke through gritted teeth.

"Yeah, but look at this? Here you are, safe in whose hands?" he chuckled, helping her back up.

She turned to him, arms crossed. "I was a foot from the ground!"

"And I still caught you!"

"Gray, this activity was almost as dumb as you are."

"It's the thought that counts."

"But I was almost _dropped_\- "

He put a hand on her shoulder. "C'mon. It wasn't that hard, now was it?" he grinned. Erza rolled her eyes, trying to frown over her smile. He nudged her side, before leaving the guild. "I'll pick the next mission, then!" he called, waving goodbye.

Erza stared after him, fuming. "That stupid exhibitionist…" she grumbled as she watched him go. She wasn't mad because he almost dropped her, but that he was right: she did trust him. She looked back down at the floor, remembering that she had almost fallen onto the hard surface. Her rage returned. _To some extent, at least._

* * *

I hope you enjoyed, and leave a review if you did! And no, I don't have anything against Gray's purple Hawaiian shirt, but I do think it's goofy lookin. Hahaha.

-Pinky


	15. Games

First day of Grayza Week and I'm already late haha yikes. I got home real late and was about to sleep, when I realized I hadn't posted! Leave a review if u enjoyed :) Alright, Day 1. Here we go.

* * *

"Hey, while we're still here, I got something for you." Gray spoke, smiling at the redheaded girl in front of him. He looked to her for a response, but Erza was silent. She was in the living room, looking through the couch. "It's pretty cute, if I do say so myself. I thought it'd be a nice present, and I…" He paused, seeing her sigh in frustration. "What are you looking for?"

"Don't talk." Erza responded, chucking all the couch pillows back. She narrowed her eyes, looking more frustrated by the second.

"I know we're usually a little late, but we were planning on leaving..." He looked at the clock beside him. "Twenty minutes ago." He walked towards her, frowning.

Erza stood up straight, sighing in exasperation. "I can't find my house key anywhere!"

"Wait, _you_ lost something?" Gray snickered. "Wow, that's- " Erza smacked his shoulder. "Hey!"

"Of course I didn't _lose _it! I would never be so irresponsible. It seems to be...misplaced." She narrowed her eyes at him. "Did you take it?"

"No, I didn't. Why would I?" He sighed, shaking his head. "If you'd move in with me, we wouldn't be having this problem…"

"If you'd agreed to be _quiet_, maybe I'd find my key and we'd be _eating_ now!"

"Okay, okay, relax. Doesn't Lucy have an extra?"

"Not anymore. You know how many things Natsu takes from her, you can imagine what mess he'd make if he somehow had my house key."

"Alright, fair enough. Do you have any extras?"

She rolled her eyes. "Of course not. Why would I have an extra when I never lose the original."

"Yeah, except for now…"

"I said it was _misplaced_!"

He dodged Erza's hand, frowning as he pointed behind her. "Wait, so your house key isn't any of _those_ keys?" He pointed at a large ring hanging on a hook behind her, at least eight different keys hanging from it.

She turned around, widening her eyes. "No, um…" She shook her head. "No. Those are for...uh...books." She smiled to herself. "Yes. Books..."

"Right. So you keep a ring of keys to lock up all your naughty restricted section books, but you don't keep a ring for your house key?!"

"Naughty- I- what?!" Erza stammered, face reddening.

He laughed, pointing at her. "Hah! Look at that, I'm totally right! Your face looks like your hair!"

"Regardless!" Erza exclaimed, shaking her head. "Back to your _original _question, no, I do not keep a ring for my house key. Because it's gold- yes, _real_ gold- and I am not risking any situation in which it could get scratched. That's why I keep it on the top shelf of my desk, out of reach until I need it."

Gray's eyes widened. "Wait, it's what? And where?"

She crossed her arms. "Gold. Top shelf of my desk. Why?"

"Oh. Uh, yeah. Right." He scratched the back of his head worriedly.

She arched an eyebrow at him. "What do you mean, 'right?'"

Gray shook his head nervously. "Uh, nothing, I..." He whimpered, seeing her glare deepen. "Okay, don't get mad."

"I can very well get mad."

"-But I saw it."

"What? Then why didn't you say anything?!"

"I didn't know it was your house key at the time! It was an accident, and it all happened so fast, and...and again, you didn't say that it was your key! So I had no idea- "

"Gray." Erza stepped forward menacingly. "Where. Is. My. Key."

He held his hands out to her. "Come on, don't you want to enjoy a nice, post-successful-mission-night in downtown Magnolia, under the stars, nothing but love and affection for me- "

"Gray."

Gray's shoulders sank. "Okay. You remember that kid's toy I was telling you about? The puzzle? It's a wooden box, and it only opens if you shake it or slide something a certain way?"

Erza narrowed her eyes. "You better not say what I think you're going to say."

He gulped. "Well, I bought one for you. It was actually the present I was talking about earlier."

Her glare deepened. "_That's _your idea of a _present_?"

He shook his head. "Anyway, I was assembling it at your desk, and at the same time I was looking for a notepad. You know, to write you a cute note." He looked at her hopefully, but her expression remained unchanged. "Uh, so, when I was looking for said notepad, I bumped that shelf on your desk and your key fell, and it _just so happened_ to fall into the center...and then the box snapped shut." He looked at her nervously.

"So you're telling me...that we've been stuck here for an extra half hour...because you lost my key... playing with a _children's _puzzle?!" she exclaimed.

"But it's not lost!" he told her. "At least we know where it is now, right? And who knows, this could be fun! You can figure out how the box opens, and use the key as...y'know, incentive." He smiled hopefully.

She glared at him. "I don't have time for your games, Gray."

Gray raised his hands up in defense. "It was an accident! How was I supposed to know it was your _only_ house key... "

Erza spun around, walking to where her desk was. Gray trailed after her worriedly. She stopped in front of her desk, pointing at the small box. "This is it?"

Gray nodded. "Yes. And if you look closely, you can see the little patterns on the side, and how _cute _it is...I mean, it _did _cost some money, because I had it decorated, and…" He trailed off, seeing her open a drawer. His expression crumpled as he saw her pull out a hammer. "Uh, what are you doing?"

Before he could act Erza swung the hammer, the metal round directly hitting the box. The box shattered, wooden pieces scattering all over the desk. She dusted the area, before picking up the golden key that was now exposed. "Oh, look at that? I found it." she responded sarcastically, throwing the hammer back in its drawer.

Gray fell to his knees, staring at the remains of the puzzle. "But it...it was only a game..."

Erza turned back around, smiling proudly. "Yeah, what a game hack, huh?" she joked. "Since you're so into games, here's one: dinner at my favorite restaurant. And _you_'_re_ paying." she told him, smirking as she walked out.

Gray stared after her, still shocked. "...You keep a hammer in your desk?!"

* * *

Do people know what those puzzle boxes are? I got them as gifts when I was little and they were THE MOST DIFFICULT GAMES like I got one when I was 6 and I only just now figured how to take it apart and put it back together. Anywho, I'll be updating my multi-chap as well, so do check that out! See u tomorrow ;)

-Pinky


	16. Hero

Day 2!

* * *

Gray walked into the quiet room, looking down at the bed: Erza was lying on her back, asleep. "I picked this up this morning," he spoke, placing a container of strawberries on the table next to her. He fought the sadness he felt inside: even though she had been like this for over a week, he knew hope was the last thing he should give up. _She's going to wake up, I know it._

He heard her softly inhale and exhale, still amazed that someone as active as she was was now sleeping through the world around her. He felt the guilt creep back. _If only we hadn't fought. Then she wouldn't have left, and gotten injured..._ He shook his head, reminding himself to be thankful: the last thing he should do was blame himself for what happened.

He sat in the seat next to her. "You'd probably strangle me for spending my money on something that might spoil, like the last batch..." He almost chuckled, remembering how he had to throw out the strawberries he brought in for her last week. "But I had a pretty bad day today. Which usually would be a bad sign, but I had a bad day when I met you, so I figured my luck would be different." he spoke, remembering how Cana had predicted his 'Lucky Day' as the same day he met Erza. _I really am lucky. _he thought, gently taking her hand into his.

He sighed, remembering why he was here. "I've been meaning to tell you this…" His voice trailed off. He silently cursed himself- he had so much to say to her, things that he was too nervous to tell her before her injury. And even now, in her unconscious state, he couldn't bring himself to say the words. "Jeez, if you heard me now…"

He looked at her, hoping he'd see some sort of reaction, but her face remained unchanged. He studied her face- she was so serene, her sleepiness making her sharp features almost delicate. His face immediately reddened, looking down to hide his blush. He almost chuckled, imagining how angry she'd be if she woke up to see him studying her like that.

"You know what, I'm just gonna say it." Gray twisted his hands together nervously. "This is going to sound really weird, and if you want to hit me or throw me out the window, then do so by all means." He shifted uneasily in his seat. "Before this all happened, we talked about how we felt. But it didn't end how I wanted it to. I'm really sorry I got angry that night, I...I'm not sure what came over me. And if I hadn't gotten angry, you definitely wouldn't have left, or be _here_, like this…" He shook his head, squeezing her hand tightly. "I almost lost you, Erza. And I don't want to go through that again." He laughed to himself. "You're going to say I'm ridiculous, but...I think I love you."

He looked at her with a smile that soon faded, remembering her comatose state. He felt the guilt creep back into his mind. He was supposed to stay hopeful, but the underlying feeling of shame shadowed over him. _It's all because of me. _He buried his face in his hands. "You don't deserve this…" he murmured. A soft groan sounded beside him.

He looked up in shock, seeing Erza stir. He watched as she moved her arms, trying to stretch, brows furrowed in pain. Her eyes slowly opened, looking out in front of her.

He sat up immediately. He locked eyes with her- she was still lying down, but staring back at him. "Erza?!" he gasped. _Was this real?_

Her pained expression deepened. She sat up slowly, grimacing as she held her head in pain. "Oh god…" she mumbled.

Gray was immediately at her side. "Are you okay? Is it just your head?"

She nodded silently, massaging her head with her hands, a sleepy daze still around her.

Gray stared at her in disbelief, almost laughing. "You're- you're really awake...oh my god, you're awake!" he exclaimed, reaching forward again and embracing her tightly. He laughed to himself as he pulled away, holding her face in his hands. "I can't believe- "

She planted a hand to his chest, pushing him away. "-Excuse me." she spoke firmly.

He flinched at the sudden formality of her voice. He slowly backed away, fear creeping inside. _No…_

"I don't mean to be rude, but," She blinked. "Who are you?"

Gray stared at her, pure shock gripping every bone in his body_._ "W-what?" he asked. _She seemed fine when I came in…_

This was some sort of awful dream. It had to be. Everything they had done to get Erza home alive and recovered couldn't have gone to waste, not like this. But he looked into her eyes, seeing that this was no dream.

She stared at him through narrowed eyes. "I can tell you mean well. But I don't appreciate unexpected signs of affection, especially from strangers."

Gray's face fell. _It can't be. _He watched her, hoping to see some sort of sign that this wasn't real. That she would burst into laughter, joking about 'the look on his face' and then scolding him for being so gullible. But he felt his stomach drop- the truth in her eyes was undeniable.

"And this headache- " She winced. She held a hand to her temple, a searing pain pulsing through her head.

Gray shook his head. "It's your injuries." He stood up, turning to leave. "I'll get Porlyusica, and- "

She frowned, wincing as she shook her head. "I didn't mean to alarm you. I'm just really confused, and everything hurts, and I can't recall a goddamn thing…"

He wanted to sit down and tell her everything. That their mission had gone awry because of their stupid argument. That the one time he left her alone, he was too late to help her. But Gray remained silent, still in shock. He felt sick.

He was terrified, and she could feel it. He was an arm's length away from her, but the distance between them felt enormous. She blinked rapidly, trying to push away the frustrated tears that brimmed in her eyes. "Look, I didn't mean to scare you, but the least you could do is tell me who you are to me."

He paled at her words, recalling she had told him a similar thing during their fight. He felt tears brimming in his own eyes, shaking his head. "You need to rest." he told her, turning away. _I need to get out_. But he spun back around: Erza had grabbed his arm, holding him in place.

"Seriously, can't you- " She suddenly let go, seeing the tears in his eyes. Her fear increased by a tenfold: she had no idea what was happening, and by his face he was as lost as she was. She couldn't help the strange feeling growing inside her, telling her that she was missing something. It all felt off. "I'm sorry, I- "

He lowered his eyes, shaking his head. "It's okay. Don't apologize." he murmured. "I'll get Porlyusica. She'll be able to help, don't worry." He smiled weakly, walking away from her.

She frowned as he walked away- she was obviously uncomfortable he was there, but something was very off. "Hey." she called, and he turned around. "I'm sure this is nothing. Come back in an hour and I'll be fine, huh?" she joked, attempting to smile through her pain.

But Gray stared at her blankly, with nothing but a pained expression. "Erza…" he spoke softly, before leaving.

She frowned. _Erza_. He said her name with such care, such kindness. Like he was her guardian. She looked at the chair he had been sitting in: she hadn't even noticed there was a chair there. It was as though it was his seat, right next to her. She looked to her other side at the table beside her, and amidst all the flowers that decorated the surface she saw a carton of strawberries. Frustration kicked in as she felt a feeling of vague familiarity that she was unable to identify. She looked at the door, frowning slightly as her own heartbeat picked up. _What happened?_

Outside, Gray sank to the ground, back against the closed door. He covered his face with his hands. _It's just like she said..._

* * *

"_Gray, you _must _leave. Now!" Porlyusica ordered, pointing to the door._

_But Gray remained where he was. "No! I have to know she's okay!" he shouted, standing over Erza's body._

"_Gray, come on, please!" Lucy pleaded, tugging his arm. _

_He looked at her, seeing the tears in her eyes. He felt guilty that she was here, that she was watching her best friend's life hang in the balance. __But the guilt he felt was also from Erza. He looked at the redhead lying lifelessly on the bed beside them. Frustration taking over he shoved Lucy's hand off. "Then leave!" he told her._

"_Gray…" Lucy murmured, turning and crying into Natsu's shoulder._

"_Gray. Let's go. Porlyusica has to do her work." Natsu told him. His voice was firm, but Gray could tell he was on the brink of tears too. They all were._

_Gray shook his head. "I'm staying. For Erza."_

_Natsu looked at him one last time, before sighing, he and Lucy walking out the door._

_Gray looked at Porlyusica, eyes narrowed. "I need to know she's going to be okay." he repeated._

"_I understand that. And she will be."_

"_How can you be so sure?! She's been unconscious, and her skin…" He grabbed Erza's paled hand, ignoring how cold it was. His face faltered, closing his eyes. "I don't know what to do."_

_Porlyusica exhaled sharply. "Well, you can be of use while you're here. Who were you fighting? Did they use any strange magic?"_

He shook his head. "_A normal bandit case. He didn't use anything out of the ordinary, Erza only hit a rock…" Rage filled his body. "Did he do something to her?!"_

"_It's as I thought, then." She shook her head. "No magic here. Post-traumatic amnesia, caused by hitting that rock."_

"_A-amnesia?" He paled. "She'll be okay, right?!"_

_She looked at him warily. "There's no telling at this point. It could be permanent, could be temporary…" She shook her head. "But she'll be fine. She'll wake up in a lot of pain, but it'll be manageable."_

_Gray looked at Erza, fear taking his body. "Permanent…?" He looked at her hopelessly. "So what am I supposed to do?"_

"_Nothing. Her memories will return, but on her own time." She shook her head. "At this point we can only pray she'll recover like normal."_

_Gray felt sick to his stomach, but bowed his head in appreciation. "I understand. Thank you." he told her, and turned to leave._

"_Gray." She looked at him, concerned. "Did something happen between you two?"_

_He looked at the ground in shame. "We had gotten into a fight just before this happened. She was angry, and left on her own to fight the guy. When Natsu, Lucy, and I realized she had gone, we got there, but we were too late. She had hit her head, and was on the ground…" Tears of frustration welled in his eyes. "It's my fault."_

"_Do not blame yourself, and do not focus on the past. Remember who she was, and support her as she returns to that person." Porlyusica turned back to Erza. "As for right now, she still has some bad cuts. I need to work quickly."_

_But Gray remained in place. He stared at Erza, but she remained motionless. "This can't be…" he murmured._

"_What's important is that you brought her back. She's alive, Gray. Remember that."_

_He looked at Erza's hand, the hand that only yesterday held his face, telling him things would be okay. But her hand was pale, dangling from the side of the table. He covered his face. "What have I done?" _

"_She's alive because of you."_

_He felt himself go numb._

"_You're her hero, Gray."_

* * *

;-; there was a prompt on tumblr where basically Person A wakes up from an accident and doesn't remember Person B, and although it's evil I had to do it ;-; Leave a review if you enjoyed! See u soooooon

-Pinky


	17. Alone

Day 3, Alone.

* * *

Gray stepped outside, relaxing as the cold night air breezed through him. He closed his eyes, breathing slowly as he felt himself calm. _Just what I needed._

The guild was celebrating a summer of successful missions. Everyone was inside, music and drink constant throughout the night. It had been fun, but after a while the drinks were too heavy, the company too loud. He needed space, needed to breathe.

He walked out on the balcony, walking away from the warm lights inside and enveloping himself in the darkness of the night around him. He stared out across the balcony, noting how peaceful it was with the moon in front of him. He was so captivated by the view that he almost thought he was alone.

He raised his eyebrows in surprise as he recognized Erza in front of him. She was leaning against the railing, looking out at the city.

"Pretty nice out here, huh?" he greeted.

Erza turned around, smiling slightly when she saw him. She nodded, turning back around. "It's always nice at night."

He walked towards her. "How have you been holding up?"

She shrugged. "Pretty well. It was fun in there, but...it gets loud, you know?" She turned to him. "How are you doing?"

Gray sighed. "The same. I was doing fine, but you know I can only stand so much of our guild, much less when they're drunk." He chuckled softly, "I was actually about to leave, if you- " He suddenly stopped, looking at her: it may have been the moonlight, or darkness deceiving him, but the glassiness in her eyes was all too recognizable. He frowned. "Are you alright?"

She blinked rapidly, nodding. "Yes, I'm fine." she responded.

She wanted him to leave, he could tell, but he could also hear the shakiness in her voice. He studied her, noticing the dark circles under her eyes. "Erza, your eyes- " He saw Erza look down in shame, and he flinched: _this wasn't new._

She shook her head, looking away. "I'm fine, Gray." she told him, speaking softly.

He frowned, turning to her. "Erza, please. If there's something going on, you can tell me- "

She turned to him. He stepped back, seeing the tears brim at the edge of her eyes. "Gray, please. Don't."

Fear gripped his body. All his life he had been able to handle most things, but something about Erza crying always set him off. He gulped, swallowing a lump in his throat that he hadn't realized was there.

She looked back at the view in front of them. "I'd like to be left alone. Please." she murmured.

Gray stared at her, still in shock. Not knowing what to do he slowly backed out, walking away from her.

When it came to Erza, she was a closed book. She stayed silent, hiding her vulnerability whenever it surfaced. But with Gray, she was different. His whole life, she had been there for him. She had seen him at his worst, when he was pushed into the darkest of corners. When he was in places that not even his closest friends had seen. But amidst all that, she hadn't judged him. She had saved him, countless times, no matter what he was going through.

He was already inside when he spun around, running back out. Erza turned around, hearing his steps on the stone balcony. "Gray, what are you- " She was cut off as he wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly. She widened her eyes in surprise as she felt him shake against her.

He closed his eyes as he held her. "Please, Erza. You can talk to me." he told her.

She blinked, tears clouding her vision, but for a different reason this time. "Gray, I…" But she couldn't find her words- there was nothing to say. She slowly brought her arms around him.

Gray sighed in relief, feeling her calm down. "You can talk to me." he repeated, softer.

Erza closed her eyes, feeling her tears fall down her cheeks.

_"You don't have to go through anything alone."_

* * *

Inspired by Frank Ocean's new album because it's beautiful and 20 seconds in I was already in my feelings. I highly recommend ;-; See you in the next chapter!

-Pinky


	18. Past and Future

Day 4, Past/Future

* * *

The room was still dark, the air was cool, and she was just warm enough, but the only thing Erza Scarlet could hear was the incessant ringing of an alarm clock. She turned her head the other way, hoping that the alarm would suddenly mute by doing so.

But the chimes continued, high notes piercing the peaceful air with every passing second. "Graaay…" she groaned into the pillow, foot nudging the leg next to her. The ice mage beside her did nothing, only shifting away from her. "Gray, turn it off." she prodded, nudging his leg again.

"Mm." he responded, but the chimes continued ringing.

_Oh, fucking hell_. She shut her eyes tight, breathing deeply. _You know you have to get up. Even though it's early, even though you don't want to, even though you'd much rather stay here instead of spending the day at the guild, you have to get up. So they don't know. _

Her eyes opened. _Right, so they don't know. _Newfound inspiration kicked in as she sat upright in one motion. She reached for the alarm clock, slamming the top button. The device silenced, and she sighed gratefully. Her eyes moved to the body next to her- and she rolled her eyes. _Of course he couldn't hear anything. _Gray was still asleep, white pillow covering his head. "Good for nothing, I swear to Mavis." she muttered, slipping out of the warm covers.

She grabbed a shirt from the floor, putting it on swiftly. That was the nice thing about being at Gray's house: she never had to pack her own clothes or deal with requipping, because she always found something on the ground. _But the hard thing is finding the clothes you came in..._ she thought as she crossed her arms, wondering where she threw her outfit from the night before.

"What are you doing up? It's fucking...early o'clock." Gray asked groggily, rubbing his eye.

"That's not a time, you idiot." she rolled her eyes, "And I have to get going. You know that."

"Oh right, your dumb 'holding up your image' thing…" he mumbled.

She stood up, looking at him. "_Dumb_? That's ridiculous. You know I do this every morning."

He turned to her, now awake. "Exactly. It's ridiculous because every morning you either kick me out or rush out of here at an ungodly hour, just so you can go home and then show up at the guild without me." He smirked at her. "Or am I wrong?"

Erza crossed her arms. "Excuse you, but I have people to see and places to be."

"Yeah. _Me,_ and _me in bed_." he snickered.

Her face reddened. "Changing the subject. I don't understand why you're hung up on the fact that we don't arrive at the guild together. It's perfectly logical, the way I see it."

Gray sat up, propping a pillow under his chest. "Oh boy. Tell me how you see it, then."

"Fine. I don't think it's...appropriate for us to walk into the guild together. It could raise suspicion."

"...why?"

"Because we raise enough suspicion leaving together. So if we leave at night together, and then show up in the morning together, people start asking questions."

"Literally _everyone _does that, and no one is suspicious about it! Like Gajeel and Levy, Natsu and Lucy, Cana and booze- "

"-It's not appropriate, given our...circumstances."

He gave her a look. "You mean sex."

Her face reddened again. "...Yes."

He laughed, rolling his eyes. "Erza, come on. No one in the guild is going to know our 'nightly activities' by the sole fact that we walk in together."

"I know I would! You shouldn't underestimate our guildmates, Gray. They're all quite smart."

"So you think _Natsu_ would assume all that?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Inaccurate example. My point is, I think walking in together would raise those suspicions. Which would continue to raise, because we are not in a relationship."

He gave her a look. "Wait. So this whole leaving early and showing up separately thing is what you're doing because it bothers you that we're not _officially_ dating?" Gray asked, now sitting up completely.

Erza returned his look. "Doesn't it bother you?"

"Not really. Lots of people go through this, like best friends, people who have casual sex, but all that matters is- "

"Oh, so that's all this is? 'Casual sex?' By Mavis Gray, I thought we had at least _some_thing stronger than that- "

"No, no no, I didn't say that. I'm saying that it doesn't matter if we're in a relationship or not, as long as we're both happy."

"Agreed. And arriving separately makes me happy. So without further ado, I'll be leaving." She turned for the door.

"So that's all this is about? Us being official?" He scoffed. "Fine, I'll ask you out right now. Erza Scarlet, will you be my girlfriend? Or will you continue being difficult at…" His eyes fell on the clock. "Jeez, _five _in the morning? You set that alarm earlier on purpose, didn't you?"

"No, I did not. And no, I will not be your girlfriend."

"Alright, well there it is. Problem solved, now let's go back to bed."

"No, not solved. You know this is not the time nor the place!" She shifted uneasily. "Besides, we haven't even been...you know, doing this whole thing for that long."

He frowned, quieting. "Wait, don't you think we have a...you know, a connection?" he asked worriedly.

Erza's face fell. "Of course I do. You know I do. In fact, I was questioning as to why we didn't try this 'dating' thing sooner."

"Then...what's the problem?"

She sighed, leaning against the wall behind her. "I feel stuck. Like we're in this weird, middle ground of past or future: we're between staying friends, or advancing to...something more."

"Because we've been friends for longer than we've expressed our romantic feelings for each other."

"Precisely. And I do appreciate how we're easing into this. But being between what was our past and what could be our future...it's getting to me."

"I- " Gray sighed, holding a hand to his head. He looked at her, completely serious now. "Erza, I like you. A lot. In fact, to be honest, I'm about 92.7% sure I'm in love with you."

She frowned. "What's the remaining 7.3%?"

"Concern for strawberry cheesecake obsession. BUT regardless, my feelings for you won't change." he continued, "I get what you're saying, so if you want to leave, I won't stop you."

She sighed. "Well, to be honest, I _do _hate leaving in the morning. Or making you leave. I'd rather be in bed, with you, than at the guild. If I'm being honest."

He shrugged. "Then where do we go from here?"

She pursed her lips. "Well, while I do like easing into making this a relationship, I think I can do more on my part."

"Or less, like lessening the amount of cheesecake we buy- "

She narrowed her eyes. "Not what I meant. I'm talking about little things."

He raised an eyebrow. "Like…little cheesecakes instead of big ones?"

"Little _things_. Like you have a drawer at my place, maybe I have a spot in the closet, you have a towel...you know, baby steps."

Gray smiled at her, realizing what she was saying. "Ah. Like a toothbrush."

Erza smiled back. "Correct. Like a toothbrush."

"So we'll do these little things, and people will notice, and then when we are official they won't be too shocked about it."

"Precisely."

"Alright." he smiled. "We'll start with a toothbrush."

Erza nodded. "Toothbrush it is."

"Great." he chuckled. "Now this is only a suggestion, but I think the best idea now would be for you to get back here so we can sleep for however many hours are left."

She smiled, slipping back under the covers. "I agree, 91.8 percent."

"What's the other 8.2?"

"I admire your magic greatly, but that's no excuse for your feet to feel like ice cubes."

* * *

Day 4 and my heart is bursting with all the beautiful grayza contributions I've seen. And the week isn't over! AH I love it. See you with Day 5!

-Pinky


	19. Chemistry

Day 5, Chemistry :)

* * *

"Wait, w-where are you taking me?" Erza stuttered, looking at the person holding onto her. "Be careful, or I'll kill you...with my hands...if I could find them." she slurred, giggling to herself.

Gray looked down at her, frowning. "Right now, I'm pretty sure you're incapable of doing that. And like I told you, for the millionth time, we're going to your apartment, because Mavis knows you can't walk two steps without falling." he told her, arm wrapped around her torso as he struggled to walk her down the street. "Seriously Erza, don't you know your limit?"

"My limit on drinks? Infinite."

"I wish. Then I wouldn't have to deal with your drunkenness..."

"Drunk? Please. I'm perfectly fi- whoa!" She stumbled forward, saved from another faceplant as Gray held her upright. "Perfectly perfect, see?" she slurred, attempting to wink at Gray, although to him it looked more like an eye spasm.

He sighed, exasperated. "Jeez, Natsu and Lucy weren't lying: you _are_ slapped." He slung Erza's arm around his shoulder, grunting as he held her up. "This definitely counts for my workout today."

"Workout? Ho ho ho, you definitely don't need that, I can see those abs right through your shirt- "

"Hey, quit it!" Gray scolded, swatting her finger away from his stomach. He shook his head, looking up at the sky. The moon wasn't out, but the stars twinkled above them brightly. "It's such a nice night. But of course you just _had _to get drunk, didn't you?" He turned to her but suddenly stopped, seeing a silver glint in the darkness. "Oh my god, are you- ?!" He watched as Erza took a swig from a metal flask in her hand. He swatted it away from her, the container falling into the grass beside them.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?!" she shouted angrily, struggling to smack Gray. "You, you...you judgmental...little...stripper!"

He held her hands away from him, sighing in frustration. "You know, I'm not sure if I would like you more drunk or sober. Because either way you'd still be yelling at me."

"You lost my alcohol!" She pushed away from him and fell to her knees, hands patting the dark grass. "Help me find it!"

"Would you stop? The last thing you need is more alcohol."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "You're jealous, aren't you?"

"As the only sober person here? Uh, no." He shook his head. "I wish you weren't drunk, so you could see how ridiculous you're being."

"You know what's ridiculous?" She stood up. "What's ridiculous is that- " She suddenly fell forward, completing her third faceplant of the night. She sat up gingerly, holding her stomach. "Oh, that doesn't feel so good..."

Gray rolled his eyes. "Well I assure you that you'll feel better in bed, so let's get going."

"I'll feel better when I have another drink, but you- " She suddenly turned to the side, holding a hand over her mouth.

_Oh, shit. _Gray's eyes widened, knowing exactly what this was. He fell to his knees, right at her side, sturdy grip on her back. "Erza?" he asked worriedly as he watched her, hand still cupped to her mouth. "Come on, let's sit you up."

For once Erza complied, holding onto him tightly. "I...I almost threw up…" she breathed heavily.

"Yeah, I noticed." he spoke, almost laughing. He leaned towards her, hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay?"

She looked up. "The sky is spinning…" She shook her head weakly, shutting her eyes. "Oh, I don't feel well..."

"It's okay. We'll stop here, take a break." he assured her. He looked ahead, noticing that the riverbank in front of them. "Wow, the perfect location for this, huh?" He laughed to himself. "I never thought we'd be here like this."

Erza looked out, only to look back down. "Oh, water glimmering too fast..." She turned to Gray, who was still looking at the water. She noticed how bright his skin was, and the smile on his face...A drunken smile warmed her face. "You know what you remind me of?"

Gray turned to her, unaware of her staring. "What?"

"Science." she slurred, giving him another wink.

Gray paused, before laughing. "Okay, you lost me."

"No, no, really. Like chemistry, ya know?"

He gave her a confused stare. "So...explosions? Because you're always mad at me?"

"No. Like _real_ chemistry. Chemistry chemistry."

"What, like alcohol's effect on the brain?" he smirked.

She narrowed her eyes. "No! Like sodium chloride, and...you know," She flopped her hand around. "The other ones. Peanut butter and jelly."

He burst out laughing. "Okay, I thought I was lost, but now you _actually_ lost me."

"What I'm saying is," she slurred. "I think that our personalities are very comparable."

He gave her a look. "Compatible?"

"Yeah. That. I think we'd be great together." She gave him a lopsided smile, slumping onto his shoulder.

Gray's face reddened, a strange feeling settling over him. "Look, we should probably get going, don't you think- "

"Why do you always do this? I always tell you my feelings, and- "

He stood up, holding Erza with him. "ALRIGHT BREAK OVER GOING HOME NOW- "

"No, Gray, you stop!" she exclaimed. Gray turned to her, frowning at the sudden seriousness in her tone. She clenched her fist. "I like you!"

He stared at her in shock. _Did she...actually say that? _He took a deep breath, before smiling. "Come on." he told her, holding her again.

Erza looked at him, frowning. "So? What are you gonna do something about it?" she slurred as they trudged down the stone road, Gray's arm around her.

"I like you too, Erza." He laughed, "But I'm pretty sure you won't remember any of this."

* * *

...

Erza woke up with a start, a searing pain rushing through her head. She sat up in her bed, holding her head tightly. "Oh, fucking hell." she cursed. She looked around her room, blinking rapidly. "What happened last night...?" She suddenly gasped in shock. Grabbing the book next to her she let out a shriek, chucking it. Gray was sitting in a chair beside her, fast asleep.

The book hit him squarely in the face. "Holy- " he shouted, before realizing what happened. "What the shit, Erza?!"

"What are _you_ doing here?!" she shouted, threateningly grabbing another book from the table next to her.

He jumped away from her. "What the- what are you talking about? I _carried_ you here!" he shouted back, confused.

_What? _"Not true! I would never let a _pervert_ help me!"

_"_Oh my god." He started laughing. "You don't remember _anything,_ do you?"

She threw the book at him. "What the hell is _that_ supposed to mean?!"

He dodged the object. "I took you home last night!" Infuriated, she looked under her sheets. Gray's face reddened. "Not like that!" He groaned in annoyance, "I _walked _you home last night."

She shook her head. "Like hell! You probably broke in and...and watched me sleep, didn't you?!"

"What the- no, I did not!" He held a hand to his head, sighing in frustration. "You know, I'm not sure if I like you more drunk or sober. Because either way you'd still be _yelling at me_!"

"Then explain yourself! And- " She winced, holding her head. "Ugh, you're making my headache worse!"

He sighed. "Okay, fine. Calm down. So last night, you got really drunk at the guild party. Lucy wanted to walk you home, but she was drunk too, so I offered to do it. So I walked you home, and it was late at night, so I stayed over." He held his hands out. "End of story, swear to Mavis."

_That would explain the hangover._ She stared at him skeptically. "So that's it? Nothing else?"

He raised his brows. "Well, you _did _say a few things..."

She blushed, her cheeks a deep red. "What? What things?!" she asked frantically. _There's only one thing I could have said if I was that drunk..._

He raised his hands in defense. "Nothing! Nothing you remember!"

She sighed in relief, feeling her face cool. "Oh, good. Well." She pointed to the door. "You can leave now."

"What, and leave you to faceplant around your house, hungover? No, I'm staying till I know you're fine." he told her, crossing his arms definitively.

He expected her to start yelling again, but instead she laughed. "Oh, good. Because my head hurts like crazy." She smiled at him. "You're really the best, Gray."

He shrugged. "I mean, that's why you like me, right?" he smirked. He stopped, suddenly realizing what he had said. He stared at Erza, eyes wide. "I- I didn't mean- "

Her eyes widened as she realized what he meant. "I- I told you- " she stammered, but Gray's face was enough of an answer. Her face reddened in embarrassment as she grabbed another book from beside her, chucking it at him. "Out!" she shouted as he bolted out of her room. She sighed as she held her arms, feeling the hot blush return to her cheeks. _Well_, _at this point__..._ A small smile formed on her face. _It's definitely true._

* * *

My entire tumblr is complete Grayza right now, and honestly I would not want it any other way :') I looooove this week, I hope you're all enjoying it too!

-Pinky


	20. Demons

(ignore the lateness, I totally forgot to upload this)

Day 6, Demons.

**Content Warning:** **Mentions of ****cutting, anxiety, depression, alcohol abuse**

This is completely different from what I normally write. The CWs mentioned above are in touched on in the story (no vivid detail). Everything has been taken from my personal experiences, with friends or others. Sometimes those closest to you suffer the most, and you have no idea. What I've learned is to always be supportive no matter what. Support can come in different ways, like spending time with the person or even sending a quick text to see how they're doing. Things aren't always as they seem.

* * *

Gray inhaled nervously. He counted to four, and then slowly exhaled. He took another breath, ignoring the nauseous feeling sinking over him. He closed his eyes, trying to assure himself that everything was fine.

"Gray? You okay?" Natsu asked, standing behind him. The pink haired boy frowned, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Gray shook his head. "I- I can't- "

"We'll all check on her, don't worry. She's the smartest person I know." He patted his shoulder. "Let's enjoy tonight, okay?" Gray opened his eyes as Natsu gave him a comforting smile. He smiled back and walked inside the restaurant, following their friends that had already gone in. Natsu smiled as his best friend walked in, but his smile quickly faded. _Please, please let her be okay…_ he prayed, before following Gray inside.

* * *

_She was always in the wrong place at the wrong time, no matter what. It was never her fault; it was something that she had carried over from her childhood. It was the fact that her environment was the robber that was beating her down. She was stripped to a stage of vulnerability too soon, too early, her legs too skinny to stand up for herself. _

Erza woke up to darkness: all that surrounded her were white sheets and the shadows of the fast-approaching night. She sat up slowly, realizing she was the only one in the bed. "Gray?" she called, but was responded by only the silence around her. She looked out the window, seeing raindrops softly coat the glass. She held her arms nervously. It was dark.

_Almost too dark._

* * *

_How do you cure what seems incurable? He had no idea what he was getting into, what demons she was already fighting when they entered their relationship. She had always been strong for him, for all their friends. That was what he admired about her in the first place- she always led him to whatever good there was. He had no idea she was so broken._

"Whoa. Check that out." Natsu breathed, pointing out the window. The rain clouds they had eyed on their way in had bloomed into the beginnings of a harsh storm. The rain was pouring, making everything shiny in the dark night.

"Wow. Not quite the 'little storm' they said it was going to be, huh?" Lyon chuckled.

"Definitely not. Thank goodness we're inside." Gajeel nodded.

_I never liked this. _Gray stared outside, frowning. _Nothing good ever comes when it rains like this._

* * *

_She's remembers her childhood, the friends she made, but above all that she remembers the pain. The pain of being pushed into the very corner of her mind, failing when her limits were tested. And then she remembers the first time she did it, thinking that by giving herself pain she'd somehow outweigh the pain someone else gave her. She's haunted by the way she coped before. _

Erza stepped onto the floor, buttoning one of Gray's shirts around her. She stepped out of the bedroom and into the dark hallway, met with nothing but silence. "Gray?" she called out again, making her way to the kitchen. _No one's home._ She was about to leave, when a loud buzzing sounded beside her. Her phone rested on the counter, screen lit with a new message.

_Still out with the guys. Will be home soon. Lv you._

_Right, he mentioned that. _she remembered, and quickly texted him back. She reached for the lightswitch, flicking the knob, but no light came. She frowned. _Power's out?_ At that moment the boom of thunder clapped throughout the house, the rain getting louder. Frowning she walked to the living room, only to step into a small stream of water. _Oh no..._

* * *

_He remembers when they started dating. Everyone had congratulated him, telling him how lucky he was lucky to have her. And he knew it- she was perfect. She loved him, cared for him no matter what the situation was. She had seen him at his darkest moments and saved him from whatever he was fighting. She made up a huge part of the person he was today. Naturally, everyone saw her as that: powerful, strong, and kind. Yet no one knew anything about her. _

_But he knows. He watches her, knowing exactly when a dark thought passes over her serene face. She feels like she's missing something when she's done everything, and he knows. He sees an air of unease around her, feels her constant sense of insecurity. He tries to ease her pain, share the load. Of course it warms his heart when she smiles through it, holding his hand as she tells him she's fine, everything's okay. But she's still holding something back. _

"Gray?"

Gray looked up, Loke staring at him across the table. "Sorry, what?" he apologized, looking up from his phone. He was in the middle of texting Erza back, making sure she was okay.

"Is everything okay?"

He nodded, tucking his phone away. "Yeah, of course. What were you saying?"

Loke smiled. "We were just saying it's nice you're here. That we're all here. It's just like old times, huh?" he chuckled.

"Jeez Loke, you're making us sound _too_ old. We haven't even hit 30!" Natsu whined.

"I dunno know, Natsu. You're hair's lookin a little pinker than last time. Hiding a few white hairs, huh?" Gajeel snickered, pointing at Natsu's head.

"Nuh uh! And besides, my hair isn't pink, it's _salmon_." Natsu boasted proudly.

"Hey, but really." Lyon smiled, everyone looking at him. "This is quite nice." He looked at Gray, raising his glass. "I'm glad you're here, Gray." Everyone nodded in agreement, raising their glasses too.

Gray smiled at his friends, raising his glass as well. He took a sip, knowing that he felt right at home here. He felt his guilt subside, slowly fading away with every raindrop that hit the window.

* * *

_Over time, however, she had become better. He helped her, they all had. There were even times when she helped herself. Slowly, but surely, she had taken hold of the life she wanted to lead. But within a second, it happened all over again._

Erza rushed forward, water ice cold against her feet. She knelt to the floor, beside the culprit: an open window in the living room, letting the rain in. "We always forget to close this one…" she muttered, struggling to shut it. She winced as a cold breeze hit her. She paused, staring outside. It was pitch black, raindrops falling in silver lines. _It's so dark out…_ she realized. She tried to distinguish shapes, a tree, a familiar rock, but nothing came to her. She watched the rain flow through the streets in a hypnotizing stream. She felt herself close her eyes, an eerie feeling sinking in the pit of her stomach. _I've seen this before…_

She was shot back to when she was a child, surrounded by the same darkness. She remembered looking out into the blackness, seeing familiar shapes come her way, only when she reached her hand out she felt nothing but the cold rain against her pale skin.

She gasped. Her eyes shot open, fear filling her body as the deja vu passed. Still staring out the window she backed away shakily, the same fear that held her when she was young now locking her body in place. "No, no...it can't- " A clap of thunder rumbled through the house. She gasped, jumping back. _I can't stay here… _she thought, crawling to her feet. She passed through the kitchen, wanting only to go back to bed. _I need Gray, I need him, I need- _She paused, noticing a certain clear bottle. It was well hidden, but now that she saw it it had all her attention. She stared at it, a dark thought crossing her mind.

* * *

_He remembers the first time he left her alone. It was stupid- they had gotten into an argument, and Gray ended up leaving in an attempt to clear his head. Looking back, he was impatient- he should have comforted Erza. But instead he dismissed her needs, because he didn't yet understand them. She wanted company, and he had left her alone. _

_He remembered coming home to rain, and after acknowledging the eerie feeling he had rushed to the bedroom. He ran, only to find Erza curled on top of the sheets. It would have been fine, if the red lines on her forearms weren't there. And for the first time since they started dating, he felt fear. He remembers how his arms ached, trying to wash the blood from the sheets…_

"Hey, Luce just texted me, apparently there's a power outage in our apartment." Natsu announced, looking up from his phone worriedly.

"No way. Meredy and I might be affected too, then." Lyon frowned, searching for his phone.

Gray's face fell: he remembered how dark it was the last time he left Erza alone. He pushed his seat out, frowning. "I'm gonna call it a night."

"You won't stay for another drink? We already got dessert." Loke asked.

Gajeel shook his head. "Nah, he's right. We should probably get going. Storm's only getting worse."

"Yeah, you're right." Loke nodded, grabbing his coat.

Gray bit his lip nervously as he attempted to call Erza. His frown deepened as he heard the dissonant ringing on the other end- no service. He clenched his fist, anxious. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and for a second time that night, saw Natsu next to him. "Go." he told him.

Gray gave him an appreciative nod, before rushing out of the restaurant.

* * *

_After that there were no secrets between them. And for a while, he was what made her happy, and what made her life better. But it seemed the better her life got, the worse her memories became. She was sailing away, but stayed stuck at shore by the forgotten anchor. Happiness during the day meant paranoia by night, her dreams plagued by fear she hadn't felt since she was younger. The smallest of things would trigger her, to the point where she went back to her first way of coping. _

She learned to keep secrets. He had kept the obvious things out of reach and out of sight, but she had her own ways of getting what she needed.

Erza stumbled into the dark bathroom, the only light the dull gray coming from the window. She flicked on the light, but cursed- _still __no power. _She sat on the closed toilet, bottle still clenched in her fist. She looked at it hopefully- _I don't want to fear anymore. _she thought, twisting the top open. She closed her eyes as the harsh liquid filled her mouth, drinking quickly as it coated her stomach.

She pulled it away from herself, her tongue left with a buzz that was new yet familiar. She took another long gulp, her head beginning to spin.

She pulled it away again, feeling the liquid drip on her shirt. "Oh god, I...I can't…" she stammered, standing up. She stumbled to the sink, putting the bottle on the shelf in front of her. She looked at herself in the mirror, and immediately heard Gray's worried voice echoing in her brain.

She leaned forward, gasping in disgust at her own reflection- she didn't need alcohol, she needed Gray. She needed his warmth, his support, him right next to her… She fell to the ground, clutching her sides. "How could you do this?!" she spat. She shook her head, opening her tear filled eyes to see something glint under the sink. It was small, taped to secrecy on the white porcelain. She reached forward, ripping with desperate force. She tilted it towards her, the small blade glinting at her. A wink- _it was their secret_. She bit her lip as she drew it across her forearm, tears staining her cheeks.

* * *

_The hardest thing for him to do was to tell their friends. He found himself making excuses for their absences at any get-together, because he didn't know how much they knew. He was shocked when he found Erza's darkness, and he had no idea how they'd react. But something in the back of his mind told him that they always knew- whether it was the random phone call in the middle of the day or going out of their way to spend time with her, his friends always made an effort to keep them both sane. _

Gray drove as fast as he could, rain pelting against his windshield. Amidst the chaos he sighed in relief as his call to Erza finally went through. "Come on, come on, pick up…" he muttered, only to be answered by the same dissonant ringing. He dialed it back immediately.

Usually, he wouldn't be this worried. After all, she had already checked in with him earlier in the evening, telling him she was fine and to bring some dessert home. But after three missed texts and a voice mail, he became concerned. _Shouldn't she be answering? … _He shook his head, hanging up and redialing again. _Please, please be okay..._

* * *

_She's improved, but she hasn't grasped the fact that what she craves for has taken her friends, her future, and her sanity away. The craving is hard to ignore for the both of them; her face pleads him, begs him to say that it's a suitable solution. But hunger turns into embarrassment, and she knows the last thing she wants to do is embarrass him. So she lies, telling him that things are fine, that she knows what she's doing and where she's going. _

_And he believes her, as his mind immediately jumps to the times where she did fix herself. When she put her own needs aside and was there for him. He wants to believe her. But deep down he knows: she can abandon her past, but she can never forget it._

_It hurts...a lot._

Erza opened her eyes, hearing a rhythmic buzzing in the distance. She frowned- her phone was ringing. _I must have left it in the kitchen…_ She tried standing up, when she stumbled. She looked around hazily. The light had turned on, but her vision was skewed, her surroundings blurring together in the yellow light. She took a step forward. "It's Gray, I have to answer- " She fell again, on grasping to the edge of the sink. She cried out, feeling a strange pain stretch across her forearms. She looked down.

Everything was blurry, but her clouded vision couldn't hide the red lines across her forearms. Her eyes widened. _How could I…_ She saw the open bottle of vodka on the shelf in front of her. She shook her head in shame, grabbing it from the shelf. "I have to throw it away, before he gets home- "

Erza stumbled, the bottle slipping out of her hands. She watched as it fell. The glass crashed to the floor, shattering into a million different pieces. The tiny shards glowed at her, mixed with the clear liquid on the hallway floor. She stared down at her hands, completely unaware of what had happened. She reached forward, trying to clean it up, but her vision and the mess in front of her blended into the dark hallway. She gasped, putting her hands to her face as she backed away. She sank to the floor, back running down the cold wall behind her. She felt another tear fall down her face as she closed her eyes, giving in to the fog around her brain. _I'm sorry, Gray..._

* * *

Gray ran into the house, slamming the door behind him. "Erza?" he called out worriedly. He dug his nails into his palm. _Please, please be fine…_ He stopped in the living room, noticing the water on the floor- his eyes stopped, seeing the open window. Guilt gnawed at him as he rushed to slam it shut.

"Erza?" He called in the kitchen. He saw her phone on the counter, and grimaced. _That explains it._ He stepped into the hallway, about to call again, when he saw a light. The bathroom down the hall was open, light pouring out of it.

He started running. He was outside the bathroom door when he heard a _crunch_ beneath him, the sound piercing the silence. He nervously lifted his foot and saw a small fragment of glass crushed under his shoe. His face fell as he looked around- it suddenly occurred to him how many fragments were on the floor. He paled as he recognized it as the remains of a broken bottle. He turned to the bathroom door, and felt his stomach drop.

He almost breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Erza was there. That alone was enough to make him happy. She was on the floor, eyes closed. But unease filled his body as soon as he saw the red smears on the white sink.

"Erza!" he exclaimed, rushing towards her. He propped her upper body on his lap. She slowly opened her eyes, blinking rapidly. His eyes fell on her arms: he almost didn't notice, and almost hoped he didn't. Cuts lined each forearm, staining her porcelain skin with red lines that screamed for help. Terror filled his body as he realized what had happened- he hadn't seen this in a year, but it was still all too familiar.

"Erza..oh my God, Erza, what happened here?!" he gasped.

"Gray…" she murmured, tears falling down her cheeks. She put her hands to her face, covering her eyes as she cried. "I don't...I don't know…"

He did the only thing he could think of. He wrapped his toned arms around her, her face tucked in his chest. Her frame remained frozen, but he still held her tightly.

_He'd been with her this whole time, right by her side as he helped her walk up every step, but deep down he couldn't ignoring the aching in his gut that somehow told him this was his fault. Within a sunset they were back to square one, all the days of treatment and consolation gone to waste. He wants to cry, he wants to scream, he wants to talk to her. Convince her that this wasn't the way, that she wasn't meant for this. But he knows he can't. His mind races as he thinks of the next step, the potential excuses, the possible solutions, but the same doubt clouds his mind: how much more can they take?_

He doesn't know what their future holds, or even the next minute. But he knows one thing: no matter what, he will always fight her demons.

* * *

I really liked this prompt because without meaning to, it connected to a lot of situations I've seen in the past year. I was nervous to post this, not because of how it would be received, but because it felt too real. I love writing light and funny things, but I think it's important to shed light on the dark experiences too.

Love u all, thank u for always supporting me. (I've been trying to type out a heart but for whatever reason ff won't let me so imagine a big ol' heart right here _ )

-Pinky


End file.
